The Enlightenment Era

These flashcards cover key concepts, terms, and figures from the Enlightenment era, focusing on philosophy, society, and their implications.

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement in the 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason, science, and individual rights.

Coffee Houses

Social venues in cities during the Enlightenment, serving as centers for public discussion and debate.

Cash Crops

Crops grown for sale rather than for personal consumption, such as sugar, coffee, and tobacco.

Bourgeoisie

The middle class, which rose in prominence during the Enlightenment and was associated with capitalism.

Scientific Method

A systematic form of investigation involving observation, experimentation, and reasoning to acquire knowledge.

Civil Society

A society characterized by voluntary associations and institutions that promote collective interests.

Social Contract

A theory in political philosophy that individuals consent to form governments to protect their rights.

Public Sphere

An area in social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems.

Salons

Gatherings held by wealthy women in their homes to discuss literature, philosophy, and politics.

Natural Rights

Rights that individuals have under natural law, including life, liberty, and property.

Rationalization

The process of explaining or justifying a behavior or action based on logical reasoning.

Absolutism

A political system in which a single ruler holds absolute power, often justified by divine right.

Women's Exclusion

The exclusion of women from formal participation in intellectual spaces such as coffee houses during the Enlightenment.

Enlightened Despotism

A form of government in which absolute monarchs pursued legal, social, and educational reforms inspired by the Enlightenment.

Voltaire

A leading figure of the Enlightenment known for his criticism of religious intolerance and advocacy for civil liberties.

Immanuel Kant

Philosopher who defined Enlightenment as mankind's emergence from self-imposed immaturity, emphasizing autonomy and reason.

Cesare Beccaria

Philosopher known for his writings on criminal justice, advocating against torture and the death penalty.

Baron de Montesquieu

Political thinker best known for his theory of separation of powers in government.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Philosopher famous for his work on social contract theory and ideas about general will and popular sovereignty.

Mary Wollstonecraft

Early advocate for women's rights, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, arguing for education and equality.

Catherine the Great

Empress of Russia who enacted reforms influenced by Enlightenment thinking while expanding her power.