Absolutism
What kind of power did Monarchs have before the Enlightenment?
Absolute rule; where Monarchs held total control over society and government.
How did scientific thinkers start defying the Church?
Using observation and experimentation to gain knowledge rather than relying on religious explanation alone.
What is the Enlightenment?
An intellectual movement centered on reason, logic, and natural laws.
How did Enlightenment ideas effect the French Revolution?
Peasants and third class citizens started to understand the social equality in their country and heavy taxation and economic collapse made poorer citizens want natural rights leading to the Storming of Bastille(the beginning of the revolution).
What is it called when Monarchs have total control?
Absolute rule/ Absolute Monarchy
Who introduced the heliocentric model?
Nicolaus Copernicus
What did John Locke thinker believe about government?
The government should be guided by reason and that it was the governments duty to protect it's citizens natural born rights.
Who led the Reign of Terror(guillotine executions)?
Maximilien Robespierre
How was absolutism justified?
What is the heliocentric theory?
The idea that all planets in our solar system revolve around the sun.
What did Voltaire defend?
Freedom of speech and religion.
How did Napoleon Bonaparte become Emperor?
He crowned himself.
How did historians describe the attempt by Monarchs to modernize their rule in face of the Enlightenment?
Enlightened Despots
Which scientist supported the heliocentric theory and invented the telescope?
Galileo Galilei
How did Thomas Hobbes describe government?
A social contract
How did Napoleon gain power?
By using military force to take other countries.
What happens when all power is placed in the hands of one ruler?
Historically, corruption, greed, death, and change follow.
If rulers claim absolute authority, why did people begin to question everything they were taught?
Enlightenment ideas spread science, which proved widely believed theories wrong.
If reason could explain the universe, could it also improve government and society?
Yes, if humans are willing to believe and follow science, improvements in society would seem likely to follow.
What happens when Enlightenment ideas collide with inequality and economic hardship?
In France, it led to a revolution.