Enlightenment/Absolutism

absolutism

A political system where one ruler holds absolute power, with no legal or institutional limits (like parliaments or courts). EX. Louis XIV of France

Divine right theory

The belief that monarchs receive their power directly from God, and are only answerable to God, not the people.

Scientific Revolution

A period (roughly 1500s–1700s) when science advanced rapidly through observation, experimentation, and reason, challenging traditional beliefs.

what was the Age of Enlightenment 

An intellectual movement in the 1600s–1700s that emphasized reason, individual rights, and science over tradition and religious authority.

What is John Locke's social contract theory?

It’s the idea that people agree to form a government to protect their natural rights—life, liberty, and property.

What are checks and balances?

A system where each branch of government can limit the power of the others to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful.

Who was Louis XIV?

King of France from 1643 to 1715, known as the "Sun King", and one of the most powerful absolute monarchs in European history.

Who was John Locke?

An English philosopher (1632–1704) known as the "Father of Liberalism", famous for his ideas about natural rightsand government by consent.

Who was Jean-Jacques Rousseau?

direct democracy and majority rules

Who was Montesquieu?

A French Enlightenment philosopher (1689–1755) best known for his theory of separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and check and balances

Who was Mary Wollstonecraft?

An 18th-century British writer and philosopher, and an early advocate for women’s rights and education.

Who was Voltaire?

A French Enlightenment writer, philosopher, and outspoken advocate for freedom of speech, religious tolerance, and civil liberties (1694–1778).

Who was Thomas Hobbes?

An English philosopher (1588–1679) known for his is the guy that thinks human are evil