Enlightenment & French Revolution Flashcards

Flashcards on the Enlightenment and pre-Revolutionary France

Natural Rights

Rights to life, liberty, and property; If a government doesn't respect these, the people can overthrow it.

First Estate

In pre-revolutionary France, made up of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church; Scorned Enlightenment ideas.

Second Estate

In pre-revolutionary France, made up of the Aristocrats (1-2% of population); paid barely any taxes.

Third Estate

In pre-revolutionary France, made up of all the poor and working people who worked the most but were treated the worst; heavily taxed.

John Locke

Enlightenment philosopher; Believed in natural rights: right to life, liberty, and property + limited government: if it doesn't protect rights, people can overthrow it from 'Two Treatises on Government'

Montesquieu

Enlightenment philosopher; Advocated for separation of powers and checks and balances to prevent tyranny, from 'On the Spirit of the Laws'.

Rousseau

Enlightenment philosopher; Promoted the idea of social contract and popular sovereignty: Gov power comes from the people, who agree to be governed and have the right to change their government if it fails.

Mary Wollstonecraft

Enlightenment reformer; Argued for women's rights and education.

William Wilberforce

Enlightenment reformer; Believed slavery was morally wrong and advocated for abolition of slavery.

Enlightened Despot

Rulers who promoted education, legal reforms and supported religious tolerance. Examples: Frederick the Great of Prussia, Maria Theresa & Joseph II of Austria, Catherine the Great of Russia

Copernicus

Proposed the heliocentric theory (sun is center of universe).

Galileo

Used telescope to support heliocentric theory, discovered Jupiter.

Newton

Developed laws of motion and universal gravitation.

Scientific Revolution

Emphasized reason to solve problems.

Scientific Method

A method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.