enlightenment Flashcards
What was the enlightenment
intellectual and cultural movement which spread across Europe during the 18th century
What did Enlightened thinkers question
traditional assumptions, ideas and institutions such as absolute monarchy, the church and the structure of society
What is dogma
belief or principle that has been asserted as true without question
How were French enlightenment thinkers influenced by
the ideas of John Locke- emphasised the need for ‘consent’ in government and also stressed the importance of property rights
What were the key ideas of Montesquieu
defended the nobility and privilege but questioned the structure of political authority
expressed his ideas in the Persian Letters and The Spirit of Laws
argued that there should be a separation of powers in a state- legislature, executive and judiciary
What were the key ideas of Voltaire
wrote against hypocrisy and injustice and in support of toleration, civil rights and the right to a fair trial
imprisoned in the Bastille prison in Paris for nearly a year under a letter de cachet for insulting the duc de Rohan
defended the right to free speech with the words- ‘i may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it
Who wrote Du Contrat Social (The social contract) in 1762
Rousseau
What was argued in du contrat social
‘man is born free and everywhere he is in chains’- corrupted by society and its politics
What were the key ideas of Rousseau
believed government was a contract between the people and their rulers with obligations on both sides
governments should protect liberty and ensure equality but decisions should be based on the ‘general will’ of society
people had the right to overthrow governments that failed to act correctly
What were the key ideas of Diderot
rejected religion and saw the church as a bar to progress
Who wrote the Encyclopedie (Encyclopaedia) 1772
Diderot
What was the nature of the Encylopaedia
Diderot sought to bring together all human knowledge- more than 100 French thinkers contributed to it but Diderot wrote hundreds of the articles himself
hoped to show how man had mastered the natural world though science + technology and was mastering human behaviour through an understanding of how individuals and societies work
Philsophes views on the Church and its traditions
criticised organised religion and the Church’s traditional idea of the ‘chain of being’ which said that the hierarchy of society was divinely ordained
also criticised corruption within the church and church control over the ignorant masses who lived in fear of eternal damnation
Philsophes views on ‘Divine Right’
criticism on church was linked to criticism of divine right which led them to question absolute monarchy
debate about roots of monarch’s authority and many philosophes showed an interest in the English model- limited monarch shared power with an elected parliament
Montesquieu- separation of powers were the basis for further debate on how to create ‘checks and balances’ in gov to prevent on one individual becoming too powerful
Philsophes views on civil liberty
criticised unwritten law codes, arbitrary court rulings and unfair sentences were penned
Voltaire- used bitter sarcasm to highlight injustices
privileges of the clergy, nobility, guilds and corporations were all attacked
suggested that true progress and prosperity could never be achieved in a society that failed to protect individual liberty and promote the general good
Philosophes views on economic situation
questioned the traditional economic theory of mercantilism
Francois Quensay- wrote of the need to abolish monopolies, guilds, tariffs (duties on imports) and special privileges in his Tableau Economique in 1758- taxes had to be changed and only fair tax was a single land tax paid by all
ideas sometimes described as laissez-faire
influenced prominent French economists such as Turgot
What is laissez-faire
a concept of limited government intervention so that the economy is driven by fair competition and by ‘natural laws’ of supply and demand
How were the ideas of the enlightenment spread
spread through coffee houses, academies, salons and other social gatherings in Paris and major provincial towns
What were academies
were clubs for intellectuals interested in political and social matters such as writers, journalists, artists and teacers
put on lectures and set up debates and essay competitions for members
Robespierre made director of the Arras academy in 1786
also had reading rooms and libraries allowing members to study the writings of the philsophes
What were freemasons
forum for debate
What were salons
centre of intellectuals as well as social exchange
entry to salons depended less on social status than on intellect- became places where both sexes and the bourgeoise and nobles could exchange views so helped to break down social barriers
What were literary rates in Paris
60%
