HIST A102 - Europe in the Modern World (Western Civ 2), Professor Lockwood 2025

What does Plato's theory of form teach?

Reality's truth exists in perfect, unchanging 'Forms', with the material world being a shadow.

What role do numbers and mathematics play in the philosophies of Plato and Pythagoras?

Numbers reveal divine order, and mathematics leads to eternal truth.

How did Aristotle believe humans come to know reality?

Through sense observation and experience.

Who did Plato believe should rule the ideal state?

Philosopher-kings who know the Good.

Who did Aristotle believe should be responsible for government?

Reasonable citizens in a balanced, constitutional system.

What Platonic idea did Galileo blend with experimental science?

United Plato's mathematical order with experiment.

Why was Galileo convicted by the Inquisition?

For supporting the heliocentric (sun-centered) theory.

What is absolutism?

Rule by monarchs claiming divine, total authority.

According to John Locke, why do men form governments?

To protect life, liberty, and property.

What did the Enlightenment see as the main purpose of knowledge?

To advance progress and improve life through reason.

Why did early modern capitalists prefer free labor to slavery?

Free labor is more productive and voluntary than slavery.

What did the Enlightenment's 'Science of Man' attempt to find?

Natural laws of human behavior.

What role does economic self-interest play in Enlightenment theory?

Drives prosperity and harmony when left free.

How does Rousseau suggest we should instill devotion to the community in individuals?

Teach citizens to serve the common good ('general will').

Which statesmen established the French absolutist monarchy?

Cardinal Richelieu and Cardinal Mazarin.

What did parliament decide to do after Oliver Cromwell's death?

Restored monarchy by inviting Charles II to return from exile.

Which states became the dominant powers in the Peace of Westphalia?

France and Sweden.

What did Poland cede to Russia in the Treaty of Andrusovo?

Control of Ukraine.

What was the primary foreign policy concern of William II of Holland?

To limit the power of Louis XIV.

What effect did the Scanian War have on Sweden's empire?

Weakened Sweden's empire and exposed vulnerabilities.

What event made parliament supreme in the English government?

The Glorious Revolution of 1688.

What did the Treaty of Karlowitz achieve for the Austrian Hapsburgs?

Confirmed Austria's conquest of Hungary and established Hapsburg power status.

What was the primary objective of the Scottish Jacobites?

Restore the exiled Stuart monarchy to the throne.

What was the primary foreign policy goal of Peter the Great?

Gain access to the sea for trade and expansion.

According to Rene Descartes, knowledge of reality comes from what?

Reason.

According to John Locke, what are the rights the government is formed to protect?

Life, health, liberty, and property.

What did the Scientific Revolution attempt to overturn?

Aristotle's science.

What radical change to astronomy did Nicolaus Copernicus propose?

A heliocentric model of the solar system, displacing Earth from the center of the universe.

What did Francis Bacon believe all knowledge should be based on?

Observation and experimentation.

In the worldview championed by Isaac Newton, what governs the universe?

Laws of nature.

What did Enlightenment Philosophes seek to build?

A society based on reason.

What does empiricism teach about knowledge?

All knowledge comes from experience.

What did Montesquieu believe was necessary to preserve liberty?

A system of checks and balances in government.

According to Adam Smith, what is the proper role of the government in the economy?

No involvement, laissez-faire economics.

What were the principles of traditional British foreign policy?

Prevent any single European state from becoming dominant.

How did Frederick William I prepare for war for Prussia's rise as a great power?

Creating a professional, organized army and central administration.

What was the Pragmatic Sanction?

Issued by Emperor Charles VI of Austria to secure recognition of his daughter Maria Theresa as heir.

Which Prussian king first challenged Austrian dominance in Germany?

Frederick II (Frederick the Great).

What did the Diplomatic Revolution overturn?

The Vienna system.

What did Frederick the Great secure for Prussia in the Seven Years' War?

Recognition as a great power.

Where did the British Empire extend power in the Seven Years' War?

India and Canada.

Which Russian monarch established dominance over Eastern Europe?

Catherine the Great.

What did the National Assembly promise to give France?

A constitution.

What did the Jacobins want France to become?

A republic.

What gave the revolutionary French army the advantage over its enemies?

Nationalism.

What was the Continental System?

Napoleon's embargo on British trade across Europe.

What factors led to Napoleon's defeat?

Combined military of other European nations and strategic failures (army was too big to move fast).

What were the main goals of the Congress of Vienna?

Restore stability and maintain lasting peace in Europe.

Which great power enforced the Vienna system?

Russia (dominant military enforcer), Austria (led conservative diplomacy), and Prussia (provided political support).

What were the goals of 19th century liberalism?

Increase participation in government, promote social and political equality, and expand individual liberties.

What did the Industrial Revolution use to increase productivity?

Cheap labor and machines.

What was the Eastern Question?

An international concern regarding the decline of the Ottoman Empire ('Sick Man of Europe').

What caused the Revolutions of 1848?

Tension between liberal citizens and conservative governments.

What was the main foreign policy goal of Napoleon III?

Overturn the Vienna system.

Which statesman guided the Italian Unification?

Camillo di Cavour.

What lasting issue was resolved in the Austro-Prussian War?

Who would dominate Germany (Prussia, not Austria).

What did Bismarck and Wilhelm I declare in 1871?

The German Empire.

How did Bismarck maintain German dominance?

Through diplomacy.

What did the First Opium War reveal?

Chinese weakness in face of industrial powers.

What was the Great Game?

The Anglo-Russian struggle for dominance in Asia.

What did the Berlin Conference cause?

The Scramble for South Africa.

The house of Bourbon gained what in the War of the Spanish Succession?

Spanish throne