origins of liberalism Flashcards
what was the reformation
protests against the Church who wanted to reform it eg Martin Luther
when did the reformation begin
31st October 1517
what did Marin Luther say about communication with God
Martin Luther said individuals could communicate with God without the need for a priest to act as an intermediary
what machine allowed for ideas to spread and become very popular in the 16th century
Printing Press
when was The Enlightenment
1685 - 1815
what did The Enlightenment do
The Enlightenment extended these ideas from religious life into secular and political spheres
what events did The Enlightenment emerge from
- 30 years war
- English Civil War
what events did The Enlightenment influence
- French Revolution (1789)
- American War of Independence (1776) and constitution (1787)
what did The Enlightenment emphasise
Enlightenment thinking emphasised reason and logic and questioned everything that had previously been accepted.
what kind of ideas emerged from The Enlightenment
radical ideas eg individuals have free will, each individual is the best judge of their own interests, and their life should be shaped by their own actions and decisions
what relationship did John Locke question
the relationship between individuals and government
why was Locke’s questions so revolutionary
up until then it had been assumed that the natural form of government was monarchical; that a monarch had been put in place by God to rule and therefore all their decisions had to be accepted without question – ‘divine right
what three things was society dominated by before The Enlightenment
faith, religion, superstition
what did liberals argue
liberals argued that humans using logic could create a political system based on reason ‘mechanistic theory’
what is the ‘mechanistic theory’
the idea that the state was created by “man” to serve the people and act in their interests
