AP World- Unit 5.1 the enlightment

1. Context

a. As various revolutions impacted the

global stage, there were shifts in various

societies economically, philosophically, and

politically. In

addition, the world was able to produce

much more than what had been previously

done—the market boomed.

b. Debatably, the Industrial Revolution that

began in Great Britain was one of the single

most important moments of the “new age”

as it

helped the spread of new knowledge,

improved life skills, and advanced

technology.

2. An Age of New Ideas

a. Philosophers of the 17th and 18th

centuries, like Descartes, expressed a

social movement that de-emphasized

tradition and community

in favor of purpose and individualism.

b. New ideas that sought to improve life for

all of society became schools of thought

included socialism and liberalism.

Oppositional to a

social or liberal lens, conservatism was

more so embraced by the ruling class. All of

these -isms threatened the familiar and

traditional

foundation of political structure.

c. When these new ideas clashed with

tradition, the result was a revolution. Often,

the revolution was an attempt to accomplish

a degree

of constitutional representation or free the

people from the dominant and oppressive

forces that currently ruled.

d. Developing nationalism, or the shared

investment in progress for a shared people

or territory, allowed people to seek out

communities

that best supported their interests. This was

in stark contrast to the multiethnic cultures

that dominated Europe.

3. New Ideas and Their Roots

a. 17th Century Ideas

i. Empiricism, or the thought that knowledge

is best acquired via the senses and human

experience, was championed by Francis

Bacon in the 17th century. As opposed to

grounding oneself in tradition or religion,

natural data and conclusions were gathered

through observation.

ii. Reflecting on human experience on a

mass scale, philosophers like Thomas

Hobbes and John Locke argued about

one’s role in

society and government.

iii. Hobbes maintained that life was “nasty,

brutish, and short,” arguing that people

entered a social contract with their

government

by giving up some human rights in

exchange for the government to help ease

the pain and troubles of human existence

with order

and structure. iv. Locke argued that a life of

liberty and the pursuit of property was a

natural human right, and not to be taken

away or repressed by

the government. Moreover, Locke asserted

that humans also had the right to confront

an unjust government. He said that a child

was born with a mind that was a blank slate

(tabula rasa) that the government could

ensure was shaped correctly with a strong,

positive environment and education.

b. 18th Century Philosophes

i. The coming of the 18th century welcomed

new thinkers, who self-identified as

philosophes (French word for

philosophers). The

new thinkers wanted to push further into

understanding the applicability of concepts

asserted by earlier philosophers.

ii. Particularly important to these thinkers

was The Spirit of Laws (1748), the work of

Baron Montesquieu that explored and

commended the political aspect of

Parliament on Great Britain’s attempt at

efficient checks and balances. This idea

later inspired

the groundwork for separating the three

branches (executive, legislative, and

judicial) of American government.

iii. After being exiled from France for three

years by an influential aristocrat, Voltaire

(the pen name of Francois-Marie Arouet)

wrote

about and advocated for civil rights after

living in England. Inspired by the

constitutional system and how it operated

with the

monarchy, he eventually inspired the

religious liberties included in the United

States’ Constitution. iv. Voltaire’s

contemporary, Jean-Jacques Rousseau,

asserted that the populace of a national

power had a General Will that the

government was obligated to honor. This

optimism was a shared trait of social

advocates at the time.

v. Other thinkers like Adam Smith focused

on discussing the level of involvement a

government should have as it relates to

mercantilism—his argument was that freer

trade was necessary as individuals would

do what is best for them in the market, and

it

set the stage for capitalism (an economic

system allowing for privately owned and

operated manufacturing of goods/resources

for

profit). His view maintained that if the

government was laissez-faire and opted for

a more subtle approach to economic

decisions,

individual choices made about the economy

would be generally beneficial to society.

vi. While the economy and civil liberties

were being examined, so was the

relationship between man and God. New

thinkers adopted

Deism, the belief that a divinity simply set

natural laws in motion. Still, they believed

that consistent church attendance and

studying scientific inquiry as opposed to an

examination of the Bible would help unlock

the secrets of life and God.

4. The Age of New Ideas Continues

a. Conservatism

i. As social thinkers began to move from

critiquing the relationship between

government and individual, the examination

of social ills

and individuals impacted became a focus

for debate. Some of the cited issues were

widespread poverty, unsanitary conditions

for

the poor, and a lack of political

representation.

ii. Those who leaned more into

conservatism believed that traditional

institutions and the people’s investment in

this idea would

help improve society. Their perspective can

be understood as a more

pull-yourself-up-by-your-boot-straps

approach, calling on

individuals to find solutions to their

problems with the help of established

government systems and support.

b. Utopian Socialism

i. Socialism, or the belief that individuals

should have more involvement and

ownership of the means of production of

goods. While

all of them shared a sense of positivism,

several branches of socialism grew in

ideology as they advocated for specific

supports for

individuals living in communities.

ii. Some of these advocates were utopian

socialists, essentially arguing for a better

existence for all through service and

improvement projects. Henri de

Saint-Simon advocated for scientists,

engineers, and businesses could

collaborate to create public

works jobs and immense positive social

impact. Charles Fourier noted over 800

activities that could provide relief from the

difficulties of life and what Karl Marx had

referred to as class struggles. Robert

Owens settled a few communities,

intentional

about the community rules that would

govern work, education, and individuals’

free time.

iii. Another socialist group, the Fabian

Society sought to achieve social changes

through legislation and laws. By the middle

of the

1900s, Western Europe was largely

influenced by socialism.

c. Liberalism and Feminism

i. Classic liberalism was the combination of

political ideas advocating reduced funding

to militaries and churches, a laissez-faire

governmental approach to the economy,

inalienable human rights, and government

operating by a constitution.

ii. This political perspective that resonated

with politicians, writers, and scholars. More

men’s suffrage rights were accomplished by

classic liberalists in Reform Bills of 1832,

1867, and 1884.

iii. Feminism, championed by early writers

and political pioneers like Mary

Wollstonecraft and Lucretia Mott argued

that women’s

rights should include suffrage, or the right to

vote. Women asserted they were equal to

men. This goal was accomplished by

advocates by the year 1928.

d. Abolitionism

i. Abolitionism, or the liberation of all slaves

and the end of the slave trade, another idea

that was extremely controversial and

transformative to the economic market of

the United States in the 18th century.

ii. Slaves were still owned but were no

longer gathered as laborers as part of the

slave trade in multiple national powers by

the end

of the first decade of the 19th century

[Denmark in 1803; Great Britain in 1807;

United States in 1808]. In 1888, Brazil

became the

last power in the Americas to end slavery.

iii. Serfs also experienced reformations in

their rights as independent human beings

as several nations acknowledged the rights

of

serfs globally. Great Britain abolished

serfdom in 1574, the French abolished

feudal rights of nobles in 1789. iv. Russia’s

freeing of 23 million serfs was one of the

largest single liberated groups in recorded

history.

e. Zionism

i. Leading the idea that Jews needed to

rebuild an autonomous homeland in

ancestral lands of the Middle East, or

Zionism, was an

Austro-Hungarian Jew, Theodor Herzl.

ii. Legal cases like the Dreyfus Affair, a

court case in which Jewish man and military

officer Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of

treason

by the French government. His case was

found to have been founded upon forged

documents—the case shed light on

antisemitism in a place society thought did

not have antisemitism.

iii. Zionists had much to accomplish to

realize their wish—the territory and land

they sought to rebuild was already owned

and built

upon by both the Ottoman Empire and the

Palestinian Arabs. Both groups were

Muslim, adding to the complexities of the

conflict. iv. In 1948, Zionists accomplished

founding the country of modern-day Israel.

Key Takeaways

a. Enlightenment philosophies applied new

ways of understanding and empiricist

approaches to both the natural world and

human

relationships; they also reexamined the role

that religion played in public life and

emphasized the importance of reason.

Philosophers developed new political ideas

about the individual, natural rights, and the

social contract.

b. The rise and diffusion of Enlightenment

thought that questioned established

traditions in all areas of life often preceded

revolutions and

rebellions against existing governments.

c. Nationalism also became a major force

shaping the historical development of states

and empires. d. Enlightenment ideas and

religious ideals influenced various reform

movements. These reform movements

contributed to the expansion of

rights, as seen in expanded suffrage, the

abolition of slavery, and the end of serfdom.

e. Demands for women’s suffrage and an

emergent feminism challenged political and

gender hierarchies.