Unit II Writings: AP Euro

How were the witch hunts a sign of their times? What role did religion play in the witch hunts? What do you think caused the witch hunts to come to a close?

During the Scientific Revolution, religion people, including many among the learned and many who were sympathetic to the emerging scientific ideas, continued to believe in the power of magic and the occult. The witch hunts were symbolic of their times because disruptions caused by religious division and warfare created mass panic, which lead many people to accuse others of witchcraft. Popular belief in magical powers was the essential foundation of the witch-hunts. The clash created by the expanding Church and other folkloric beliefs created tension and panic which lead to the witch hunts. The emergence of more scientific and mathematical thinking lead to the end of the witch-hunts because people began to realize that witchcraft was incongruent with math and logic.

Explain the difference between parliamentary monarchy and political absolutism. Give examples of each and identify the strengths and weaknesses inherent in each model.

In a parliamentary monarchy, the ruler must share power with the parliament, or a law-making body. Therefore, the monarch's power is limited and sovereignty goes to the people. In political absolutism, the ruler has complete authority over their territory. Sovereignty goes to the monarch. An example of a parliamentary monarchy is the current government of the UK and an example of political absolutism is the reign of Louis XIV

What factors contributed to the Glorious Revolution in England? Explain the events, the leaders, and the political situation that led up to it.

Much of the non-Catholic population of England was upset by Catholic James II when he became king. They had hoped that the throne would be passed to his Protestant daughter, Mary, but soon his Catholic second wife succeeded at producing a Catholic male heir to the throne. William of Orange, the husband of Mary, invaded England with his army while receiving overwhelming support. James fled to France and William and Mary became the new monarchs.

Discuss the contributions of women to the scientific revolution. What is the merit of examining their contributions, considering they were so marginal?

Women during the scientific revolution made contributions in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy. Although their discoveries were crucial to the development of these topics, they were often belittled by the belief that women were inferior to men. Records of these contributions show us that it was not only men who made the scientific revolution possible, but women as well. Margret Cavendish wrote about a wide variety of scientific topics, although her greatest accomplishment was proving that women can have a significant position in society.

Describe the four well-defined stages that European contacts and the rest of the world have gone through since the Renaissance.

The stages the world has experienced since the Renaissance are discovery, exploration, initial conquest, and settlement of the New World. During the second stage, involved the mercantile empires and colonial trade rivalry with Spain, France, and Great Britain. The trade of slaves allowed the economy to flourish. The third stage was characterized by Europe turning from American involvement and produced empires in Asia and Africa. The last stage was the decolonization of people who were initially under European rule.

What were the political and ideological impacts of the American Revolutionary War on the citizens of Europe? How did the successful overthrow of Britain offer political hope for other nations?

In Europe the Revolution was seen as an era of significant change. - It proved to Europeans that the liberal political ideas (rights of man, ideas of liberty and equality, popular sovereignty, the separation of powers, and freedom of religion thought, and press) was not just something talked about by intellectuals. The Revolution also unleashed powerful political, social, and economic forces that would transform the post-Revolution politics and society, including increased participation in politics and governance, the legal institutionalization of religious toleration, and the growth and diffusion of the population.

Compare Hobbes and Locke. Give an example of a leader who would fit their beliefs.

Thomas Hobbes regarded all human behavior as egotistical and selfish. He saw them as insensitive monsters that were without a master, and so he argued for political absolutism. A monarch who ruled under political absolutism was King Louis XIV. John Locke criticized political absolutism and is often seen as the father of liberalism. He believed that human beings made decisions out of reason and goodwill. Thomas Jefferson was deeply impacted by this ideology when he was writing the declaration of independence.

Give 3 examples of why Peter the Great is considered an Absolute Ruler?

He forced all landowners to serve in the military or hold a civil service position and forced Western culture into Russia. He also used power to build a large army and engage in expensive wars, which allowed Russia to expand but also strengthened the power of the government and took power away from nobility.

Give a change Louis XIV made politically, socially, and economically to France during his reign.

A change King Louis made socially was ensuring that no member of any class could escape the authority of the government. Louis XIV believed that religious unity was imperative to political stability. To maintain religious unity he persecuted Jansenists and revoked the Edict of Nantes. As a result, France became a symbol of religious repression. Politically, he introduced a new, and more efficient method of taxation.

Contrast the philosophies of Bacon and Descartes.

Descartes's philosophy centers around doubt and how we can discover if something is in fact true with our senses. Bacon doubted the reliability of our senses. He doubted the mind's ability to determine if something is true or not. In other words, Descartes believed in absolute truth while Bacon questioned whether we could even discover absolute truth.

Discuss the reasons why the Catholic Church felt threatened by the Scientific Revolution and by the Enlightenment.

The Catholic Church feared the ideas spread because they were worried their influence would be weakened. Many discoveries made during the Scientific revolution contradicted those being taught by the Catholic Church. If someone were to uncover this truth the power of the Catholic Church would be reduced and they would lose their massive authority.

Discuss which two of the thinkers of the Scientific Revolution you think played the greatest role in the shaping of modern science.

Isaac Newton - mathematician, physicist, astronomer, theologian, and author who is widely recognized as one of the greatest mathematicians, physicists, and most influential scientists of all time. He discovered gravity and made many new discoveries regarding that field of science
Rene Descartes - René Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist who invented analytic geometry, linking the previously separate fields of geometry and algebra. Made the statement, "I think, therefore I am" and promoted deductive reasoning
Nicolaus Copernicus - was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at its center. Heliocentric Theory

Give specific examples of how the Seven Years War could be considered a global war.

The Seven Years War is considered to be a global war because the fighting wasn't specific to Europe or America, it covered five continents with the exception of Australia and Antarctica. The Thirty Years War also featured the expansion of Great Britain, which was considered to have worldwide power.