In-Depth Notes on APE Isms

Isms Overview

  • Humanism

    • Scholarly study of Latin and Greek classics; rebirth of ancient norms and values.
    • Advocated studia humanitatis: liberal arts including grammar, rhetoric, history, moral philosophy.
    • Philosophy centers on human dignity and rationality.
    • Civic Humanism: promotes individual virtue and public service.
    • Key figures: Petrarch, Erasmus, Thomas More.

  • Absolutism

    • 17th and 18th centuries; dictatorship by a monarch.
    • Key figures: Louis XIV, Elizabeth I.
    • Concept: "I am the state"; control of nobility (e.g., Versailles in France).
    • Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan connects absolutism and conservatism.
    • Associated with mercantilism - government control of the economy.

  • Constitutionalism

    • Rule by law; monarch is subject to laws.
    • Limited power for government; focus on individual rights.
    • Examples: England's Parliament, English Civil War, Glorious Revolution.
    • Advocate for Social Contract: laws set by the state; notable thinkers include John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

  • Mercantilism

    • Economic theory focused on national wealth from gold and silver.
    • Emphasizes trade balance: selling more than buying.
    • Key proponent: Jean-Baptiste Colbert; prevalent from the 15th to 18th centuries before transitioning to capitalism.

  • Capitalism

    • Economic system with privately owned production means.
    • Market determines supply, demand, price; profit motive drives businesses.
    • Key ideas from Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations include:
    • Laissez faire: minimal government interference in economics.
    • Invisible Hand: self-regulating nature of the market.

  • Socialism

    • Community controls property and wealth distribution.
    • Early and late 19th century divisions: Utopian Socialism vs. Marxist Socialism.
    • Marxism: emphasizes class struggle and revolution; Proletariat representation.
    • Split into Social Democrats and Communists over methods of achieving socialism.

  • Feminism

    • Advocates for equal opportunities across social, political, cultural, and economic sectors.
    • Three waves:
    • 1st Wave: Legal and political equality (suffrage).
    • 2nd Wave: Social and economic equality (1960s, 70s).
    • 3rd Wave: Ongoing movement, less cohesive goals.

  • Nationalism

    • A sense of unity based on shared culture, language, and ethnic pride.
    • Historical milestones: liberal revolutions and independence movements post-WWII.
    • Extreme nationalism leads to militarism, anti-Semitism, and fascism; key figures include Napoleon and Bismarck.

  • Modernism

    • Artistic and literary movement embracing change and challenging traditional standards.
    • Associated artists: Picasso, Van Gogh; writers: Joyce, Woolf.

  • Fascism

    • Anti-democratic, nationalist, totalitarian movements of the early 20th century.
    • Key leaders: Mussolini, Hitler; characterized by a cult of personality.

  • Positivism

    • Developed by Auguste Comte; three stages of human thought: theological, metaphysical, and positive.

  • Anti-Semitism

    • Historical prejudice against Jews leading to pogroms and the Holocaust; linked to nationalism and European movements.

  • Social Darwinism

    • Herbert Spencer's concept: application of Darwin's theories to society.
    • Used to justify social welfare funding cuts, imperialism, and later Nazi ideology.