World History: Enlightenment and French Revolution

Absolutism

the belief of complete and unrestricted power in government

Despotism

the exercise of absolute power, especially in a cruel and oppressive way

Enlightenment

A European intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition. It was heavily influenced by 17th-century philosophers such as Locke, Newton, and its prominent exponents include Voltaire and Rousseau 

Serfdom

the state of being a serf or feudal laborer

Thomas Hobbes 

Views: Need government, and social contracts, live without rights to maintain stability

Renaissance 

The revival of art and literature under the influence of classical models in the 14th-16th centuries

Humanism

An ethical system of thought emphasizing the value, dignity, and inherent worth of humans and their capacity for self-fulfillment through reason, empathy, and cooperation, without reliance on supernatural beliefs 

Scientific Revolution

A period of fundamental change in scientific ideas and methods from the 16th to the 18th century, shifting from reliance on ancient authorities to observation and experimentation 

Age of Exploration

A period, primarily from the 15th to the 17th centuries, during which European powers explored, colonized, and established trade networks across the globe, connecting previously isolated parts of the world

Heliocentric Theory

The astronomical model positing that the Sun is at the center of the universe, with Earth and other planets orbiting it

Catholic Church

The leading Christian institution in Europe, a powerful political, cultural, and religious entity headquartered in Rome and led by the Pope. 

Martin Luther 

German theologian and religious reformer, catalyst for Protestant Reformation

Protestant Reformation

16th-century religious, political, and cultural upheaval that ended the ecclesiastical unity of Western Europe by challenging the authority and practices of the Roman Catholic Church 

Divine Right

The belief that a ruler’s authority comes directly from God, not from any earthly source like the people or a parliament. 

Gutenberg and the Printing Press

The mid-15th century system of movable type printing created by Johannes Gutenberg in Europe, which combined individual metal letters with an adapted screw press, oil-based ink, and a specialized alloy for durable type to enable the mass production of affordable books. 

Natural Laws

A body of unchanging moral principles regarded as a basis for all human conduct

John Locke 

Views: Natural rights (life, liberty, and property), social contracts, a gov can be overthrown if it fails to uphold its end of the contract 

Social Contract

An implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits for example, by sacrificing some individual freedom for state protection 

The Philosophes

Prominent French intellectuals and social critics of the 18th-century Enlightenment who championed reason, progress, and natural rights. ia

Montesquieu

Views: Separation of powers, checks and balances, climate theory of government

Voltaire

Views: Advocated for religious tolerance, freedom of speech and reason

Jean Jacques Rousseau

Views: People are naturally good but corrupted by society, advocated for a return to natural virtues and a political system guided by the general will 

Mary Wollstonecraft

View: women and men were like, equal education, and social independence

Ancien Regime

The political and social system in France from approximately the 15th century until the French Revolution in 1789 

Estates

The three legal and social classes of the Ancien Régime: First Estate (clergy), Second Estate (nobility), Third Estate (commoners)  

Versailles

PalaceA in France for the royals

Clergy

A body of all people ordained for religious duties, especially in the Christian Church

Nobility

People who belonged to the aristocracy

Bourgeoisie

A social class characterized by the ownership of capital and the means of production, particularly in the context of industrial and capitalist societies

Peasants

Primarily a rural agricultural laborer or small-scale farmer of a low social status, especially in feudal societies who worked the land and provided food and labor for lords or landowners in exchange for protection or rent

Louis XVI

The last king of France before the French Revolution, supported the American Rev, which worsened France’s Finances, executed by the guillotine after the monarch was abolished 

Marie Antoinette

Queen of France during the French Revolution, luxurious lifestyle and fashion influences, extravagance, and symbol of the monarchy’s perceived indifference to the poor

Bread Riots

A spontaneous popular uprising triggered by a severe shortage of food and soaring prices, leading collective action by citizens to seize goods, or demand fair prices for necessities like bread

estates General Meeting

French assembly representing the three social orders (clergy, nobility, and common people), convened by the king to address national issues

Tennis Court Oath

A revolutionary pledge made on June 20, 1789, by the deputies of the Third Estate in France, who were locked out of their usual meeting hall during the Estates-General 

Storming of the Bastille

A pivotal event in the French Revolution was when Parisian revolutionaries attacked and seized the Bastille, a medieval fortress and prison that symbolized the monarchy’s tyranny and oppression.

National Assembly

The French national assembly was formed during the French Revolution in 1789, which asserted the sovereignty of the people by breaking from the absolute monarch and drafting the DORM 

Women’s March on Versailles

A series of events in October 1789 during the French Revolution where thousands of working-class women,angered by food shortages and high price of bread, marched from Paris to the Palace of Versailles

Guillotine

A machine used for execution by beheading

Marat 

Radical journalist and politician during the French Revolution, newspaper L’Ami du Peuple which called for extreme measures against enemies of the revolution 

“L’Ami du Peuple”

A radical and influential newspaper published in Paris during the French Revolution by Marat served as a voice for the lower classes. Advocated for social equality and radical democratic measures

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

A document adopted by the French National Assembly on August 26, 1789, during the French Revolution. Articulated fundamental principles of liberty, equality, and popular sovereignty

Emigre

A person, often an aristocrat, who fled France during the French Revolution primarily for political reasons

Sans-Culottes 

The working-class radicals, urban poor, and common people fo the French Revolution

Jacobin 

Radical political club during the French Revolution, radical egalitarian views, and use of violence during the Reign of Terror.

Suffrage

The right to vote

Maximilien Robespierre

Radical democrat, key figure in the French Revolution, presided over the Jacobin Club, served as president of the National Convention, and on the Committee of Public Safety

Reign of Terror

A period of intense violence and mass executions during the French Revolution, characterized by the Committee of Public Safety’s use of fear to eliminate perceived enemies of the revolution 

Napoleon Bonaparte

Rose from a Corsican military officer to Emperor of the French, and led military campaigns that conquered much of Europe.

Coup d’etat

A coup led by Napoleon to gain power in France 

Plebiscite 

A direct vote by the people to decide on a public question, used by authoritarian leaders, to legitimize and Aexpand their power under the guise of popular sovereignty

Lycees

A state-maintained upper-level secondary school established by Napoleon in 1802, aimed at preparing students from various social classes for universities

Concordat

A formal agreement between the French state and the Roman Catholic Church, an agreement aimed to reconcile the Church and state after the anti-religious policies of the French revolution 

Napoleonic Code

The set of French laws enacted under Napoleon aimed to replace France’s complex and varied legal system with a rational and comprehensive framework. establishing principles. Placed women under male guardianship and denying them independ rights

Continental System

An economic blockade implemented by Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic wars, to cripple Britain’s economy by prohibiting European nations under French control from trading with Britain 

Guerilla warfare

The irregular, small-scale fighting resistance movement against larger, conventional forces

Abdicate

The act of a monarch formally giving up the throne