A Journey Through History: From Absolutism to Revolutions
Classified in History
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Key Figures in History
Rulers and Leaders
James I
Succeeded Queen Elizabeth I and believed in the divine right of kings.
Oliver Cromwell
Executed Charles I and set up a military dictatorship in England.
Louis XIV
Seen as the perfect example of an absolutist ruler.
Frederick William
Helped Prussia to emerge.
Peter the Great
Tried to Europeanize Russia.
Thinkers and Philosophers
Rene Descartes
Argued that with all the doubt and uncertainty...
John Locke
Argued that each person has natural rights.
Adam Smith
Father of modern economics.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Argued that people adopted laws and government.
Montesquieu
Created the idea of separation of powers and checks and balances.
Scientists and Innovators
Nicolaus Copernicus
Challenged the idea that the Earth was the center of the universe with his heliocentric model.
Johannes Kepler
Destroyed the Ptolemaic system.
Galileo Galilei
Challenged the Church's concept of the universe by revealing...
Isaac Newton
Developed the universal law of gravitation.
Key Concepts and Terms
Political and Social
Absolutism
System in which a ruler holds total power.
Enlightenment
18th-century philosophical movement.
Social Contract
Each person in society agrees to be governed by the general will.
Suffrage
Right to vote.
Economic
Laissez-Faire
Economics theory that suggests that the government not interfere in the economy.
Philosophical and Scientific
Rationalism
System of thought that reason is the chief source of knowledge.
Scientific Method
Systematic procedure for collecting and analyzing data.
Inductive Reasoning
Proceeding from the particular to the general.
Deism
18th-century religious philosophy that God set the universe in motion but does not intervene.
Natural Rights
Rights with which every man is born, like life, liberty, and property.
Key Events and Movements
The French Revolution
Causes
- Inequality between social classes
- Overspending by the aristocracy
- Collapse of France's economy
Key Figures
- Olympe de Gouges: Questioned the exclusion of women in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
- Maximilien Robespierre: De-christianized France after the revolution.
- Napoleon Bonaparte: Ended the French Revolution.
The American Revolution
Key Events
- Seven Years' War: Led to higher taxes for American colonists to pay for Europe's war debt.
- Declaration of Independence: Officially began the American Revolution.
Key Figures
George Washington: Led the Continental Army against the British.Government and Constitution
- Articles of Confederation: America's first constitution.
- Three Branches of Government: Inspired by Montesquieu's ideas.
- Executive
- Legislative
- Judicial
- Influence of the Enlightenment: Influenced both the American Constitution and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
Other Important Events
Peter the Great's Achievements in Russia
- Creation of St. Petersburg
- Creation of Russia's navy
- Europeanization of Russia
Militant Catholicism in the 16th Century
Spain practiced militant Catholicism in the 16th century.
Thirty Years' War
Ended by the Peace of Westphalia, dividing the Holy Roman Empire into independent states.
Glorious Revolution
William of Orange and his wife, Mary, took over England from her father, King James II.
Bill of Rights
William and Mary agreed to sign this document, which called for a constitutional monarchy based on the rule of law and an elected parliament.
Mercantilism
Economic policy used by Louis XIV to finance his palaces, courts, and wars.
Peter the Great's "Window to the West"
St. Petersburg, a port on the Baltic Sea.
Roles of Government According to Adam Smith
- Creation of an army
- Creation of police to defend citizens
- Creation of infrastructure
Chronological Order of Events
- Absolutism
- Scientific Revolution
- Enlightenment
- European Wars
- American Revolution
- French Revolution
War of Austrian Succession
- Began over the area of Silesia.
- Took place in North America, Europe, and India.
- Outcome: All occupied territories were returned to their original owners EXCEPT Silesia.
Influences on Russia
- Mongols and Byzantine Empire
- Adherence to Eastern Orthodox Christianity
- Building techniques
- Methods of taxation