Western Civ Test

What do you think was Montesquieu's influence on the U.S

3 branches of government

What were some examples of the Enlightenment's impact on history?

- Governments became more democratic - People gained rights like freedom of speech, press, and religion - Governments decreased slavery

When did the enlightenment occur

1685-1815

The Enlightenment took place mostly during what century?

1700's

What is an enlightened despot?

Absolute rulers who used their power to bring about political and social change

Writers of the enlightenment were primarily interested in...

Changing the relationship between people and government

Who was not an Enlightened Despot?

Charles II

what do the Enlightenment thinkers think about government?

Government exists to serve the people

Rousseau major ideas

He argued passionately for democracy, equality, liberty, and supporting the common good by any means necessary. He came up with the Social contract theory, nearly as old as philosophy itself, is the view that persons' moral and/or political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form the society in which they live.

Hobbes major ideas

He believed that human nature was essentially corrupt. He thought that people were naturally ruled by their passions, self-interest, and desire for power. Without laws or government authority, humans threaten each other's rights and lives. All are equally endangered.

The Enlightenment is centered around what topic?

Human Nature

What are your natural rights?

Life, Liberty, and Property

Before the Enlightenment, most societies on Earth had what form of government?

Monarchy

Who proposed the system of checks and balances by separating power?

Montesquieu

Montesquieu major ideas

Montesquieu concluded that the best form of government was one in which the legislative, executive, and judicial powers were separate and kept each other in check to prevent any branch from becoming too powerful.

John Locke's major ideas

Often credited as a founder of modern "liberal" thought, Locke pioneered the ideas of natural law, social contract, religious toleration, and the right to revolution that proved essential to both the American Revolution and the U.S. Constitution that followed. He believed that a government was legitimate only if the people it ruled consented to its authority.

Montesquieu Preferred government

Republic that has a separation of powers, branches of government, and checks and balances

What is Rousseau for a society in which people enter into an agreement with government?

Social Contract

What was the Enlightenment?

The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was a new intellectual and cultural movement in the eighteenth century that emphasized reason over superstition and science over blind faith.

Why did the enlightenment happen

The causes of the Enlightenment include the focus on humanism during the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and the Scientific Revolution. These three ideas and events led to new ways of thinking and gave the Enlightenment the momentum needed to influence individuals worldwide.

What are some reforms Enlightened Despots made?

They typically instituted administrative reform, religious toleration, and economic development but did not propose reforms that would undermine their sovereignty or disrupt the social order.

True or False: More than half the world lives in a Democracy today.

True

Voltaire major ideas

Voltaire believed above all in the efficacy of reason. He believed social progress could be achieved through reason and that no authority—religious or political or otherwise—should be immune to challenge by reason. He emphasized in his work the importance of tolerance, especially religious tolerance.

Hobbes preferred government

absolute monarchy

John Locke's preferred form of government

constitutional monarchy

Voltaire's Preferred Government

constitutional monarchy

Rousseau preferred government

direct democracy