AP Euro AMSCO Unit 4.3

What was the Enlightenment?

A period of intellectual reason set in motion by the application of the scientific method to political, social, economic, and religious institutions

What were the two unifying themes of the Enlightenment?

Rational questioning of prevaling institutions and patterns of thought

General belief that human progress was possible

What restrictions continued to exist despite the Englihtenment?

Feudal, despotic, and religious restrictions

What was rationalism?

It relied on innate reason (reason within oneself and the concept that people are able to gain knowledge separate of their observations

Where was rationalism strongest and who led this belief?

Rene Descartes and his use of deductive reasoning

Strong in France

What was empiricism?

Based on the idea that all human knowledge comes from what senses experience

Where was empiricism strongest and who led this belief?

It was led by Francis Bacon and his use of inductive reasoning

Strong in England

What did rationalism and empiricism argue?

That what people knew was more important than what they believe - conflicted with religious authorities

What were rationalists and empiricists influenced by?

Socrates and Aristotle

What did the emphasis on human reason led to?

Strong dislike against slavery and the wish to end al torture and capital. punishment

What did Thomas Hobbes believe?

The natural world followed natural law

Natural laws were laws that applied to all humans and could be discovered and understood through observation and reason

What wee Hobbes and Locke considered as?

Empiricists

What did Hobbes want?

A government that could guarantee peace and security for citizens

Without government humans would pursue their own self interests

Individuals must give up some of their rights to a sovereign authority

What type of government did Thomas Hobbes want?

Absolute monarchy nut not based on divine right

What did John Locke believe?

Humans are governed by natural law given from a creator so they must possess natural rights that come from the creator as well

What religion was Locke?

Puritan

What did Locke argue?

People willingly came together to form governments forming a social contract

What was a social contract?

A beneficial agreement stuck between the people and those who would govern them

What did Locke believe was the purpose of government?

To protect people's natural rights - if they fail to do so the people may replace the government

What did Locke argue about the nature of mankind?

People are neither bad nor good but are motivated by self interest

Emphasized education for a stable society

What were philosophes?

Intellectuals who popularized Enlightenment beliefs (French)

What did philosophes criticize?

France's ancient regime - country's feudal social and political systems

Also sought social reform by applying principles of Scientific Revolution

Who was Jean Jacques Rousseau?

French philosophe and Geneva born thinker who wrote the Social COntract

What did Rousseau believe?

People in their natural state were free and happy and the government must promote the equality and freedom of its citizems

What government did Rousseau not like?

Republican and believed citizens should directly make laws

What did Rousseau talk about in his book, Emile?

Education must foster the curisotiy of a child and children should be able to follow their interests

What did Rousseau believe about women?

Women should marry and nurture children

Who was Mary Wollstonecraft?

Feminist who challenged Rousseau

What did Wollstonecraft believe in her book?

A Vindication of the Rights of Women - through equal education, etc women may reach their full potential

Who was Francois-Marie Arouet?

Voltaire who advocated religious toleration

What happened to Voltaire in France?

He was exiled from Paris and imprisoned twice in France before moving to England where he was impressed by English society

What was Voltaire's masterwork?

Candide where he commented on the hope for progress (believed it was unlikely to progress)

Who was Denis Diderot?

French philosophe who wrote the Encyclopedie which gathered ideas from all subjects and focused on human reason as the base for knowledge

Who was Baron de Montesquieu?

He criticized monarchs use of taking power of traditional privileges of aristocracy

What was Montesqueiu?

A aristocrat

What did Montesquieu believe?

King's power must be balanced by nobility and clergy

Three branches - executive, judicial and legislative

Checks and balances

What did Cesare Beccaria believe in?

Sought criminal justice reform - inspired by Voltaire

Wanted an end to torture and capital punishment

What were coffeehouses for?

Male sphere used for promoting Enlightenment ideas

What were salons for?

French discussion groups often hosted by influential women

Who was Marquis de Condorcet?

A philosophe who attended many salons

He advocated for women's rights

What were academies?

Specialized groups sometimes funded or protected by wealthy individuals or royalty

Promoted knowledge

What were lending libraries' purpose?

Collecting information and educating citizens

What happened as the power of the Church diminished?

Fraternal brotherhoods of Freemasonry became popular and met in masonic lodges

They were not religious - encouraged personal growth

What was censorship?

Religious and political institutions tried to prevent the spread of ideas

What happened to the church during the Scientific Revolution?

They lost power and Europe became secular

What was deism?

The belief that God had created the world and set it in motion and left it to run according to natural law

What was natural religion?

Most philosophes believed that human reason provided a path to understanding God - argued that God and His laws exists in nature

What did natural religion contradict?

The Church's teachings that believed God could only be known through revelation, faith and miracles

Who was a famous deist?

Voltaire - he rejected organized religion and the belief that those who reject religion will go to hell

What was atheism?

The complete rejection of God

Who promoted atheism?

Diderot

Who was a famous atheist?

Baron d'Holbach

Who was Baron d'Holbach?

French philosopher who proposed a materialistic godless universe where everything could be understood through scientific reasoning?

Who was David Hume?

Scottish philsopher who promoted skepticism

What was skepticism?

The belief that all knowledge and reasoning should be approached with doubt

More rational than deism or atheism

What did David Hume argue against?

Miracles with logic and reason - believed reason was not enough to reveal God's presence

Who was John Wesley?

British Anglican priest who formed the Methodist movement in England

What was methodism?

A Protestant Christian theology that focused on a personal experience with God through which any individual can earn salvation

Had great appeal to working class

What was pietism?

Began with German Lutherans and emphasized mystical personal experience and the importance of the Bible - promoted educational reforms

What was pietism regarded as?

Individual moral behavior as the key to salvation and all believers were lay priests of the church

What was mercantilism?

The belief that power equals wealth and people must gather as much gold and silver as possible

What did mercantilism promote?

Establishment of colonies

What were physiocrats?

Argued that land and labor wetre sources of wealth

Similar beliefs to Locke

Who was Anne Robert Jacques Turgot?

Advisor to King Louis XV and wanted a laissez-faire economy ("hands off") - physiocrat

Government should not interfere with economy

Rejected mercantilist theory about a lot of gold

Who was Francois Quensay?

A physiocrat who believed state's economic strength came from agriculture

Wanted reduced taxes, elimination of tolls, and end of government restrictions on trade

Who was Adam Smith?

Argued wealth of a nation came not from gold but from productivity of workers

Searched for natural laws governing economic behavior

Advocated less restrictions on trade

Capitalism

What did Adam Smith believe in?

Invisible hand - a force that guided all economic decisions - everyone made choices based on their self interests and together these interests balanced each other out