Global History II - Unit 1: Absolutism, Scientific Revolution & Enlightenment

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, individuals, theories, and texts from Unit 1: Absolutism, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment.

What system of government features a monarch holding total, unchecked power, often justified by divine right?

Absolutism

What concept describes the belief that a monarch's authority to rule comes directly from God?

Divine right

Which Russian czar forcibly westernized Russia, established a new army, controlled the Church via the Holy Synod, and founded St. Petersburg?

Peter the Great

Which French monarch serves as a classic example of Absolutism justified by divine right?

Louis XIV

Which historical period (1540s–1710s) shifted explanations of the natural world toward observation, evidence, and mathematics?

The Scientific Revolution

Which astronomer proposed heliocentrism, challenging the older geocentric view of the universe?

Copernicus

Which astronomer used an improved telescope to confirm heliocentrism and was tried for heresy by the Catholic Inquisition?

Galileo Galilei

Which scientist combined earlier discoveries into universal laws of motion and gravitation?

Isaac Newton

Which philosopher promoted the scientific method, advocating for observation, evidence, and experimentation before drawing conclusions?

Francis Bacon

Which Enlightenment thinker described life in a state of nature as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" and argued for a strong ruler?

Thomas Hobbes

Which philosopher argued that humans are born with natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and that government requires the consent of the governed?

John Locke

Which thinker proposed the separation of powers among government branches, arguing that "power should be a check to power"?

Montesquieu

Which philosopher argued that legitimate government is based on a social contract reflecting the "general will" of the people?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Which Enlightenment thinker was a prominent defender of free speech and religious toleration?

Voltaire

What term describes rules governing nature and human society that can be discovered through reason?

Natural law

What term did Hobbes and Locke use to describe the hypothetical condition of human life without government?

State of nature

What is an agreement where people give up some freedom to a government in exchange for protection, order, and security?

Social contract

What concept states that a government's authority is only legitimate if citizens agree to be ruled by it?

Consent of the governed

What concept divides government authority among distinct branches to prevent any single branch from holding unchecked power?

Separation of powers

What term did Rousseau use for the collective will of the community that should guide legitimate government?

General will

What astronomical theory states that the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the universe?

Heliocentrism

What practice involves basing conclusions on observation and evidence rather than tradition or authority?

Empiricism

Which 1651 work by Thomas Hobbes argued that people should surrender their rights to a single strong ruler in exchange for order?

Leviathan

Which 1748 work by Montesquieu argued for a separation of powers and directly influenced the U.S. Constitution?

The Spirit of the Laws

What governing body was established by Peter the Great to control the Russian Orthodox Church after abolishing the patriarch?

Holy Synod