APWH Historical People 1750-1900/1914 CE
Montesquieu ?????????
"The Spirit of the Laws"; tried to use scientific method to find natural laws that govern the social and political relationships of human beings; identified 3 types of governments: republics, despotism, and monarchies; invented separation of powers
Adam Smith
(1723-1790) Scottish Economist, most celebrated exponent of laissez-faire . Argued in "wealth of nations" that if individuals were allowed to seek personal gain, the effect, as though guided by "an invisible hand" would be to increase the general welfare
Mary Wollstonecraft
(1759-1797) wrote the first feminist manifesto, "Vindication of the Rights of Woman" 1792, British feminist of the eighteenth century who argued for women's equality with men, even in voting
Napoleon Bonaparte
(1769-1821) General who overthrew the French Directory in 1799 and became emperor of the French in 1804. Failed to defeat Great Britain and abdicated in 1814. Returned to power briefly in 1815, but was defeated and died in exile. Established popular authoritarianism style government. Popular Dictator- completed Concordat of 1801 and Civil Code of 1804
Muhammad Ali
(1769-1849) Leader of Egyptian modernization in the early nineteenth century. He ruled Egypt as an Ottoman governor but had imperial ambitions. His descendants ruled Egypt until overthrown in 1952.
Prince von Metternich
(1773-1859) Austrian foreign minister, led the movement at the Congress of Vienna to create comprehensive peace settlement to safeguard conservative order. Believed strong and stable France must be offset by balance of power (Holy alliance of Russia, Prussia, Austria)
John Stuart Mill
(18066- 1873) Wrote "On Liberty"; British philosopher known for his writing on utilitarianism, the view that we should act to promote the greatest amount of happiness and create the least amount of suffering possible for the greatest number of people.
Simon Bolivar
(183-1830) The most important military leader in the struggle for independence i South America. Born in Venezuela, he led military forces there and in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia
Cecil Rhodes
(1853-1902) British entrepreneur and politician involved in the expansion of the British empire from South Africa into Central Africa. The colonies of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) were named after him
Alexander II
(r. 1855-1881) Tsar of Russia, instituted major reforms to reinvigorate the country. Emancipated the serfs in 1861. Authorized new joint stock companies, projected a railroad network to tie the country together, and modernized the legal and administrative arms of government. Intellectual and cultural trends flourished
Commodore Perry
A navy commander who, on July 8, 1853, became the first foreigner to break through the barriers that had kept Japan isolated from the rest of the world for 250 years. Demanded Japan open ports to trade and allow US Ships to refuel
Olympe de Gouges
A proponent of democracy, she demanded the same rights for French women that French men were demanding for themselves. In her Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen (1791), she challenged the practice of male authority and the notion of male-female inequality. She lost her life to the guillotine due to her revolutionary ideas.
Abraham Lincoln
Elected as16th president of the US in 1860, issued the Emancipation Proclamation, ending slavery in rebel states not occupied by the union army
John Locke
English political philosopher, argued in 1690 that governments were created to protect life, liberty, and property and that people had a right to rebel when a monarch violated these natural rights. Reasoned that individual's rights were the foundation of civil government
Rousseau
French-Swiss intellectual, published the Social Contract. Asserted that the will of the people was sacred and that the legitimacy of monarchs depended on the consent of the people, Believed people in their natural state were basically good but that they were corrupted by the evils of society, especially the uneven distribution of property
King Leopold II
King of Belgium (r. 1865-1909) He was active in encouraging the exploration of Central Africa and became the ruler of the Congo Free State, forced African inhabitants at gunpoint to produce cash crops and carry them to the nearest railroad or navigable river
Voltaire
Leading French thinker during the Enlightenment, believed monarchs were likely agents of political and economic reform , (1694-1778) He believed that freedom of speech was the best weapon against bad government. He also spoke out against the corruption of the French government, and the intolerance of the Catholic Church.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
Marx- German journalist and philosopher, founder of the Marxist branch of socialism. Known for: "Das Kapital" and "Communist Manifesto" Saw history as series of class struggles Engels: socialist, wrote "The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844" Two collaborated together to combine German philosophy, French revolutionary ideas, and knowledge of British industrial conditions
Porfirio Diaz
President in Mexico (1876-1880) and (1884-1911) prompted railroad construction. Ruled under motto "Liberty, Order, Progress." Imposed through rigged elections, supported rich hacienda owners, progress only benefited handful (living standards went down), discriminated against nonwhites, tried to eradicate "rustic traditions" Overthrown in 1911
Queen Victoria
Queen of Great Britain, (1837-1901) ruler of Britain in the beginning of the time when British took over India, assigned the administration of Britain in the colony India. Reigned in "Victorian Age" which contrasted masculine ideals of strength and courage with feminine virtues of beauty and kindness
