What changes came about in the fields of science, philosophy and political ideas Flashcards
Levellers leaders? Aims? Methods? Ideas? demands? how revolutionary? How successful?
leaders?
Active from 1645-Leaders were John Lilburne, William Overton and William Walwyn-
Aims?
Called for widening of voting and equality under law.
Methods?
Most influential work was An Agreement of the People (1647-49). Levellers became influential in the aftermath of the Civil War.
demands?
Leveller demands - House of Commons to be central government, House of Lords abolished, new constitution, people equal before the law.
how revolutionary?
Argued reform to the legal system and wanted local courts to be staffed by elective judges and calling for end to imprisonment for debt.
How successful?
Most successful revolutionary group and ideas influenced later democratic movements. Although encouraged conservatism in others.
How successful?
Another limit to success was disagreements between leaders and lacked a cohesive and consistent message. Minor national support.
Ranters - what they believed
1- Small group of preachers in London in 1650, argued that those predestined to be saved by God were incapable of sin.
2- Therefore, believed that immoral sexual behaviour, drinking, swearing and crime were legitimate activities.
3-Indulged in drunken orgies -1651, leaders were in prison.
ranters significance
4- Were effectively banned by the Blasphemy Act of 1650 and there is doubt whether they were a significant force.
5- Sources discussing the Ranters were written by conservatives who would benefit from a population fearful to stray from Protestant church
6- The fear of the ranters was more important than the threat they actually posed. The Rump used this to pass acts to reduce religious toleration
diggers - what they believed
Diggers
How successful?
Revolutionary?
1- Equally scandalous, calling themselves the ‘True Levellers’ claiming that land ownership was based on man made laws invalidated by King’s death
2- Set up rural communes for the poor and began to dig vegetables on common land in 1649. Group grew and became small community
3- Leaders interviewed by New Model Army leader,Thomas Fairfax, and refused to remove their hats in his presence
4- Eventually left after losing court case brought by local landowners. Other Digger communities emerged and met the same fate
5- Had modern ideas on society, believing in,compulsory unisex education, House of Lords to be abolished and common ownership of production
6- Message was relevant to rural communities. Ideas too revolutionary for 17th century, more than the levellers, leading to less support.
evaluation of dissenting groups
seen as a threat to restored monarchy and cofe
religious freedom to find god was an extension of the political upheaval
who was Thomas Hobbes (and one of his works) and what is the name of his theory
He was a philosopher with a background of tutoring the landed elite.
He published his most important ideas in the book The Leviathan 1651, while tutoring the young charles II
The leviathan explained how people are driven by a lust for power
Because people are naturally afraid of each other they agree to a social contract where they confer all power to one political body.
People should give up their personal liberties in order to be protected.
Hobbes was influenced by the context of The civil War where he saw a struggle for power leading to a chaotic society.
who was locke
Key words liberties liberalism empiricism WORK? justification
John Locke was the most vocal proponent of what we would call today, liberalism.
2) He is seen as opposing absolute monarchy in favour of individual rights and liberties (opposite of Hobbes views).
3) Locke’s father fought for Parliament in the Civil War.
4) Locke fled to Holland in 1675 and only returned in 1688, with the new queen Mary.
5) Locke is seen as the father of empiricism, as he only made conclusions from experience or from observing the experiences of others.
6) The treatises are seen as his most important pieces of work and were generally accepted as the justification of the glorious revolution, although they were written earlier.
Scientific revolution - timeline of who 1473-1630
copernicus
keepler
bacon
developments in philosophy went in tandem with scientific discovery
1473-1543 = copernicus
1571-1630 = keepler
1561-1626 = bacon
baconian method
Bacon’s ideas were not widely implemented until after the Civil war, due to the changes in social attitudes.
4) Bacon greatly influenced the founding of the Royal Society nearly 40 years after his death.
5) Bacon applied his empirical thinking to the study of nature, but others adopted his ideas ideas when they tried to understand religion.
Locke significance
1) His significance for the world of politics is in the contribution he made towards the contemporary debate between the Whigs and Tories.
2) He rejected the Tory view that absolutism was necessary for a fully functioning society.
3) He strongly believed that the confessional state should not be resurrected, and his patron, campaigned against crowning James II.
4) Locke believed that people entered a social contract, and that the contract meant that the government couldn’t interfere with basic human rights.
5) He believed the role of the government was to protect the basic rights of life, liberty and property, and that if the government didn’t do that, they people could destroy it.
