Unit 5: Enlightenment and Revolutions (1750-1900)

Flashcards covering key concepts related to the Enlightenment and its impact during the period from 1750 to 1900.

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement emphasizing reason, rationalism, and empiricism in understanding the world and human relationships.

Rationalism

The belief that reason, rather than emotion or external authority, is the most reliable source of true knowledge.

Empiricism

The theory that knowledge is primarily derived from sensory experience and rigorous experimentation.

Deism

A philosophical belief in a God who created the universe but does not intervene in it.

Atheism

The complete rejection of belief in a divine being or religious faith.

Individualism

The principle that the individual human is the most basic element of society, emphasizing personal rights and freedoms.

Natural Rights

Rights believed to be inherent and inalienable, such as life, liberty, and property, according to Enlightenment thinkers.

Social Contract

The theory that people form governments through collective agreement to protect their natural rights.

Nationalism

A sense of shared identity among people based on language, religion, customs, and often a desire for territorial sovereignty.

Suffrage

The right to vote in political elections.

Abolitionism

The movement to end slavery and promote the rights of enslaved people.

Serfdom

A system of forced labor in which peasants were bound to work on land owned by a lord.

Women's Suffrage Movement

An organized campaign for women to gain the right to vote, advocating for equality and representation.