The Enlightenment Flashcards

1
Q

1690 - 1776

A

1690 - Locke publishes Two Treatises on Civil Government
1721 - Montesquieu publishes Persian Letters
1740 - Frederick II invades Silesia
1762 - Catherine II takes power in Russia
1765 - Diderot’s Encyclopedia is completed
1776 - Smith publishes Wealth of Nations

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2
Q

The spread of the Scientific Revolution
concepts and practices led to…

A

an increased but not unchallenged emphasis on reason in European culture

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3
Q

Enlightenment focused on…

A
  • empiricism
  • skepticism
  • human reason
  • rationalism
  • classical sources of knowledge
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4
Q

Enlightenment

A
  • takes place around 1750
  • secular worldviews
  • man had intellect apart from god
  • faith in reason, not revelation
  • deism: the existence of god was a rational explanation of the universe, however, god did not interfere with circumstances that occurred
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5
Q

Locke and Rousseau

A
  • natural rights
  • social contract
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6
Q

Principles of Scientific Revolution Which Were Being Applied

A
  • natural laws and how they were applied to society must be understood
  • education helped society progress
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7
Q

John Locke

A
  • 1632 to 1704
  • Two Treatises on Civil Government: humans are good but lack protection
  • governments provide rules but only through what the people believe should be the rules
  • purpose of government is to protect natural rights, liberty, and property
  • social contract: people agree to obey the government in return for protection of natural rights
  • right to rebellion: people could go against the government if it doesn’t protect natural rights
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7
Q

During the Enlightenment…

A

religious practices were analyzed rationally which led to the demand for religious toleration

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8
Q

Philosophes

A
  • popularized the Enlightenment
  • discovered the natural laws governing nature and human existence
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9
Q

Voltaire

A
  • wrote criticisms and challenged traditional Catholic theology
  • strong deist views
  • human reason was the key to progress in society
  • hated bigotry and injustice
  • believed in equality in front of law but not equality of all classes
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10
Q

Baron de Montesquieu

A
  • French noble who hated Louis XIV’s absolutism
  • Spirit of the Laws: called for separation of powers into three branches (monarchy, nobility, rest of population)
  • checks and balances
  • favored British system of monarchy
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11
Q

Jean-Jacques Rosseau

A
  • Social Contract: root cause of social injustice was people valuing property over other people
  • general will: a consensus of the majority should control the nation
  • democracy was implied
  • people are “noble savages” and were corrupted by the materialism of civilization
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12
Q

Denis Diderot

A
  • The Encyclopedia: political and social critiques from various Enlightenment philosophers and authors.
  • helped popularize views of philosophes
  • taught people to think critically and objectively
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13
Q

Marquis di Beccaria

A
  • On Crimes and Punishment: sought to humanize criminal law
  • punishment should be based rationally based on damage done to society; should not be linked to religious concept of sin
  • opposed death penalty
  • opposed torture to extract confessions
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14
Q

Economic Theory

A
  • mercantilist theory and practice were challenged by new economic ideas espousing free trade and a free market
  • instituted laissez-faire in agriculture: letting things take their own course; no interfering
  • Adam Smith refined and expanded laissez-faire; believed the economy is governed by natural laws of supply and demand
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15
Q

Women in Enlightenment

A
  • Marie Therese Geoffrin took part in discussions (salons)
  • Rousseau believed that men and women had very destinies because of being biologically different
  • Mary Wollstonecraft promoted political and educational equality for women
  • Olympe de Gouges demanded French women be given same rights as men during early years of French Revolution
16
Q

Classical Liberalism

A
  • liberty of individual and equality before the law
  • “general idea’ and natural rights influenced American/French revolutions
  • belief in laissez-faire capitalism
  • government should not interfere in economy
  • capitalism was the opposite of mercantilism
  • belief in progress through reason and education, human dignity and happiness
  • religious toleration, freedom of speech, punishments only for crimes
17
Q

Impact of Enlightenment on Society

A
  • secular world view of universe
  • enlightened despotism in Prussia, Russia, Austria, and France
  • American and French Revolutions
  • educational reform in many countries
  • growth of laissez-faire capitalism
  • new public venues and print media
18
Q

Enlightened Despotism

A
  • in 18th century, philosophes inspired and supported the reforms of Enlightened Despots
  • believed absolute rulers should promote the good of the people
  • believed people were not capable of ruling themselves
  • provided religious toleration, streamlined legal codes, increased access to education, reduction or elimination of torture and the death penalty
19
Q

Frederick the Great

A
  • War of Austrian Succession
  • Seven Years’ War: Maria Theresa sought to regain Silesia, gained Russia and France as allies
  • “Diplomatic Revolution of 1756” -> France and Austria were now allies, bloodiest war in Europe since Thirty Years’ War
  • Tsar Peter III pulled Russia out of war
  • Treaty of Paris (1763): Britain gained territory of India, Prussia retained Silesia, France lost all of its North American territories to Great Britain
  • Frederick was “first servant of the state”
  • destruction of war convinced him to improve society
  • peasantry did not benefit from his reforms, mostly intended to increase power of the state
  • allowed religious freedom
  • promoted education
20
Q

“2nd Hundred Years’ War”

A
  • Wars of Louis XIV: Nine Years’ War (1688-1697) & War of Spanish Succession (1702-1713)
  • War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748)
  • Seven Years’ War (1756-1763)
  • American Revolution (1775-1783)
  • War of the First Coalition (1792-1797)
  • Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815)
21
Q

Catherine the Great

A
  • killed her husband Peter III
  • gave nobles absolute control of serfs
  • serfdom spread to new areas
  • imported Western culture into Russia
  • educational reforms
  • Jews were granted civil equality
  • nobles were freed from taxes and gained more legal and financial security from the state
22
Q

Maria Theresa

A
  • father was Charles VII; rules Habsburg Empire
  • sought to improve condition of her people through absolute rule
  • conservative and cautious
  • could not become emperor of HRE
  • limited power of nobles
  • feudal dues of peasants were reduced/eliminated
  • nobles were taxed
  • tripled empire’s army
  • reduced practice of torture in legal proceedings
  • believed Catholic Church and nobility were foundations of the state
  • promoted economic development
  • abolished guilds
  • not considered enlightened despot, however, her son Joseph II was
23
Q

Joseph II

A
  • ruled with his mother Maria Teresa
  • firm believer in absolutism
  • abolished serfdom and feudal dues
  • nobles had reduced power
  • freedom of religion and civic rights to Protestants and Jews
  • reformed the judicial system
  • abolished torture and ended death penalty
  • expanded state schools
  • established hospitals, insane asylums, poorhouses, and orphanages
  • state provided food and medicine to the poor
  • Empire declined under Joseph II’s reign