AP Euro Midterm (Chapters 16-17) - Short Answer

"Commerce, which ought naturally be, among nations, as among individuals, a bond of union and friendship, has become the most fertile source of discord and animosity. [...] In every country it always is and must be the interest of the great body of the people to buy whatever they want of those who sell it cheapest. [...] The competition between states is advantageous to the great body of the people, who profit greatly besides by the good market which the great expense of such a nation affords them in every other way. Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776 A) Briefly identify and describe ONE cause, according to Smith, for which the commerce has become source of discord and animosity. B) Briefly identify and describe what Smith suggests to overcome this situation C) Briefly identify and describe another economic theory spread in this period

A) One cause, according to Smith, for which commerce has become a source of discord and animosity is because it should be the interest of the body of people to buy what they need from whoever sells it cheapest. In commerce, countries feel that if another country has more resources than them, they must have less. This promotes animosity among nations, and decreases the possibility of competition between states. States in commerce are not competing to gain revenue from the people, but are trying to gain more resources before other countries can. B) Smith suggests that competition between states could overcome the situation. Competition would be beneficial to the great body of people because it would create a good market. The body of people would benefit from this competition because if businesses are competing for more customers, they will probably lower their prices. Lower prices profit the body of people. C) Another economic theory that spread in this period was created by the physiocrats, French economic reformers. They believed that the government should have a limited role in trade and commerce. This idea was similar to Adam Smith's laissez-faire economy in which the government has almost no involvement in trade. This contrasts with mercantilism which had been widely used before the Enlightenment. In mercantilism, the government heavily regulates trade and commerce to benefit the state. Mercantilism assumes that the earth's resources are scarce and so it promotes animosity among countries.

"The most detestable example of fanaticism was that of the burghers of Paris who on St. Batholomew's Night went about assassinating and butchering all their fellow citizens who did not go to mass. Once fanaticism has corrupted a mind, the malady is almost incurable... The only remedy for this epidemic malady is the philosophical spirit which, spread gradually, at last times men's habits and prevents the disease from starting; for once the disease has made any progress, one must flee and wait for the air to clear itself. Laws and religion are not strong enough against the spiritual pest; religion, far from being healthy food for infected brains, turns to poison in them..." Voltaire, Philosophical Dictionary, 1764 A) Briefly identify and describe ONE idea of Voltaire described in the document. B) Briefly identify and describe the main features toward religion of Enlightenment philosophers.

A) One idea of Voltaire in this document is that religious fanaticism is similar to a disease. The philosophical spirit is the only cure for religious fanaticism. The habits of men can prevent the "disease" from starting, but if it has made any progress a person should flee and wait until the end of the fanaticism. B) The Enlightenment philosophes felt that ecclesiastical institutions, such as the Christian church, were the greatest impediment of human improvement for man. Many religions caused people to look toward the world to come, and not to focus on the world they were currently living in. Philosophes were not against religion altogether, and so deism was created. Deism is a religion with two major creeds: there is a God who created the world and nature can empirically prove that, and there is life after death. The religion of deism satisfied the philosophes and although there was not a huge deist movement, it did provide some with a non-dogmatic basis for their beliefs.

"Once it is demonstrated that man and woman are not and ought not be constituted in the same way in either character or temperament, it follows that they ought not have the same education, [...] they ought not to do the same things. The goal of their labors is common, but their labors themselves are different, and consequently so are the tastes directing them" Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762 A) Identify ONE piece of evidence, according to Rousseau, that supports the argument discussed in the document and explain why. B) Identify TWO pieces of evidence supported during Enlightenment that undermine this argument and explain why.

A) One piece of evidence that supports the argument discussed is that men and women perform different roles in society, and so they should be educated differently. Rousseau thinks that because men and women will ultimately have different jobs in their lives, it does not make sense for them to be educated equally. Women will perform domestic roles, raising children and caring for the house, while men will pursue a career. This idea drastically decreased the opportunities for women outside of the home. Rousseau thought that because men and women have different jobs, they should be educated differently. B) Mary Wollstonecraft wrote a document in response to Rousseau's writing that undermines Rousseau's argument. She wrote that women are often defined by their gender, and are not given opportunities to achieve what men can achieve. She also wrote that men have always made women feel inferior to them. Wollstonecraft thinks that men cannot determine whether women are actually inferior to them if they have not given women a chance to prove that they are intelligent. Also, the idea that Wollstonecraft was able to write a document that contended what Rousseau said is almost like a piece of evidence itself. Rousseau thinks that women should not be educated similar to men, but Wollstonecraft is clearly well-educated enough to contest his ideas.

Look at the painting attached (Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, 1784), then answer the questions: A) Briefly identify what is the style of this painting, than explain ONE element of it that relates this style with the new ideas of Enlightenment. B) Briefly identify and describe another piece of art (sculpture, painting, building...) of this period related with the style used for this painting. C) Briefly identify and describe the main features of another artistic style of this period.

A) This painting portrays the neoclassic style. One idea during the Enlightenment was that women were far less superior than men, and should only work inside the domestic sphere. This image portrays the women as weeping and unable to be strong, which supports this argument. The men are strong and are going to fight for their country, while the women are weak and must remain at home. The women are also much smaller when compared with the men. This further promotes the idea that men are superior to women. B) The Pantheon in Paris is a building that is related with the neoclassic style. It was originally built as a church, but eventually became used to house the remains of philosophes like Voltaire. C) Another artistic style of this period was Rococo. The Rococo style usually portrayed nobles in their leisure times, and became associated with Louis XIV and absolutism. Paintings were often light and used pastel colors, and pieces of Rococo art were detailed and decadent.