A Journey Through History: From Absolutism to Revolutions

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

1. Absolutism
2. Scientific Revolution
3. Enlightenment
4. European Wars
5. American Revolution
6. 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