Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, and French Revolution History Flashcards

A vocabulary style flashcard set covering key terms, figures, and events from the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and the Napoleonic era.

Heliocentric theory

The model of the universe introduced by Nicolaus Copernicus in $1543$ which placed the sun at the center and stated that Earth rotates on its axis.

Geocentric theory

The medieval explanation of the universe, developed by Ptolemy, which claimed the Earth was fixed at the center while the sun and planets revolved around it.

Laws of Planetary Motion

A set of predictable paths for planets discovered by Johannes Kepler, identifying that planets move in elliptical orbits rather than perfect circles.

The Starry Messenger (1610)

The book published by Galileo Galilei containing his telescopic discoveries, such as the moons of Jupiter and the craters of the moon.

Law of Universal Gravitation

Isaac Newton's principle that the same force causing objects to fall to Earth also governs the motion of planets, unifying the universe under natural law.

Rationalism

A philosophy developed by René Descartes in 'Discourse on Method' ($1637$) which argues that knowledge should be based on clear reasoning rather than tradition.

Scientific method

A structured process for studying the natural world developed by Francis Bacon, involving observation, experimentation, and inductive reasoning.

State of nature

A concept used by Enlightenment thinkers to describe the human condition without government; Thomas Hobbes described it as a state of 'war of every man against every man.'

Social contract

An agreement where individuals give up certain freedoms to an authority to maintain order (Hobbes) or to protect natural rights (Locke).

Natural rights

John Locke's belief that all individuals are born free and equal with the rights to life, health, liberty, and possessions.

Separation of powers

Baron de Montesquieu's principle that government should be divided into legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent the abuse of power.

General will

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's concept representing what is best for the entire community rather than individual desires, as outlined in 'The Social Contract' ($1762$).

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

An $1792$ work by Mary Wollstonecraft arguing that women are capable of reason and should have access to the same education as men.

Ancien Régime

The rigid social and political system of pre-revolutionary France, which was divided into three estates.

Third Estate

The social class comprising about $98$ percent of the French population, including the bourgeoisie, professionals, and peasants who bore the heaviest tax burden.

Estates General

A representative body in France consisting of members from the clergy, nobility, and commoners, which Louis XVI summoned in May $1789$ due to a financial crisis.

National Assembly

A legislative body declared by the Third Estate on June $17$, $1789$, claiming the authority to create a constitution for France.

Tennis Court Oath

The promise made by the National Assembly on June $20$, $1789$, not to disband until they had established a new constitution.

The Storming of the Bastille

An event on July $14$, $1789$, where a Parisian crowd seized a localized fortress to obtain gunpowder, symbolizing the start of the revolution.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen

An August $1789$ document that proclaimed equality before the law, basic freedoms, and an end to tax exemptions for the nobility and clergy.

Reign of Terror ($1793$-$1794$)

The radical phase of the French Revolution led by Maximilien Robespierre where thousands were executed for suspected opposition to the republic.

Committee of Public Safety

A small group with broad authority created to protect the revolution from foreign and internal threats during the radical phase.

Coup d'état

The sudden seizure of power, such as the one in $1799$ when Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the Directory.

Napoleonic Code ($1804$)

A unified legal system that established equality before the law and property rights, but restricted the rights of women and censored the press.

Continental System

Napoleon’s blockade policy designed to weaken Great Britain by preventing it from trading with continental Europe.

Nationalism

A strong sense of national identity that spread across Europe as people resisted Napoleon’s foreign military rule.