Modern European - Chapter 16

Describe the concept of the reading revolution

The transition in Europe from a society where literacy consisted of patriarchal and communal reading of religious texts to a society where literacy was commonplace and reading material was broad and diverse. Reading more books on many more subjects, the educated public approached reading in a new way.

Describe the reactions of religious institutions to Copernicus's theories; especially consequences for Galileo

by 1616 though the church deemed Copernican theory as false and persecuted those that supported it (e.g. Galileo)

Explain the development of the concept of racism and how it was used in Europe

came from the SR's urge to classify nature and group humans into an "order" or races

Describe Newton's impact on the Scientific Revolution

combined Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo's theories into one overarching theory to explain universe; one coherent system principal of universal gravitation: Principa 1687 Natural laws of motion: unchangeable and unpredictable so God's active participation not needed; foundation for enlightenment view of deism

Know Francis Bacon's theories

formalized empirical method; empiricism inductive method: began w observation, formed hypothesis, conducted experiment, organized data formed backbone of scientific method

Understand what change within the Jewish community accompanied the Haskalah Enlightenment movement

led by moses Mendelssohn; advocated for freedom of the Jews; used Enlightenment principles to argue against religious grounds Josephs II passed reforms to allow for greater freedoms for Jews in European communities

Know and explain the beliefs of Madame du Châtelet

longtime companion of Voltaire; studied physics and math; translated Principia into French

Understand why Catherine the Great's goal of domestic reform didn't come to fruition

never achieved domestic reforms, cruelly put down Pugachev Rebellion 1773-4

Describe Catherine the Great's rise to power; identify her international support

not Russian, German princess who married Peter III, who died soon after; envisioned a westernized Russia with Enlightenment ideas

Understand Voltaire's attitude towards the government

the best one could hope for in a government was a god monarch; human beings "are very rarely worthy to govern themselves"

Identify the central concept of the Enlightenment

The influential intellectual and cultural movement of the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries introduced a new worldview based on the use of reason, the scientific method, and progress.

Describe what Empress Maria Theresa did to improve the rural economy

advocated for welfare of peasants and serfs; reduced nobles power over their serfs

Explain the public sphere that emerged during the Enlightenment

an ideal intellectual space where the public could discuss issues relating to society, economics, and politics

Explain how Enlightenment thinkers differed from those during the Middle Ages and Renaissance

believed they had surpassed antiquity; ushering in a new era of progress human problems could be addressed through methods of science

Identify one of the greatest achievements of the Enlightenment

encyclopedia

Describe the political reactions to new scientific developments

established academics of science to support research scientific societies created a means by which scientists could communicate with each other internationally Royal Society (England)

Describe Copernicus's theory of the universe

heliocentric view: argued earth revolved around the sun and sun was center of universe directly challenge Ptolemy's 2nd century view of geocentric universe; also challenged Book of Genesis in Bible

Understand the characteristics of rococo art

known for soft pastels, ornate interiors, sentimental portraits

Identify the areas that participated int he partitioning of Poland (pg. 509 map)

with war looming agreement was made to divide parts of Poland amongst Austria, Prussia, and Russia

Name the authors of On Crimes and Punishment and the purpose of the work

Cesare Beccaria - condemned torture and the death penalty and advocated for penal reform

Define deism and the clock theory associated with the concept

Deism pictures God as the great "clockmaker" who created the clock, wound it up, and let it go. A deist believes that God exists and created the world, but does not interfere with His creation.

Identify the editors of Encyclopedia

Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert

Explain why Leopold II canceled his brother's edicts

Leopold cancelled his reforms to restore order in Austria

Know who wrote and what the theories were in Historical and Critical Dictionary

Pierre Bayle; shows that human beliefs had been varied and mistaken believed that nothing can be known beyond all doubt, known as skepticism

Describe the Republic of Letters

set of networks stretching form western Europe to its colonies in the Americas, to Russia and eastern Europe, to Asia and Africa; constant exchange of ideas via visits, letters, and printed materials

Explain Rene Descartes theory of nature

Discourse on Method advocated deductive reasoning proof depended on logic alone Cartesian Dualism: divided all existence into the spiritual and the material universe functions in mechanistic fashion every action had to have a equal reaction

Explain why slavery increased in the eighteenth century

Europeans had longed grouped people into "nations" based on political and cultural affiliations; Europeans were ethnocentric now differing racial classifications led them to believe they ere also biologically superior = scientific racism

Understand why the Enlightenment developed first and the most in France

French revolution

Describe natural philosophy

a term for the study of the nature of the universe. it is what we call science today.

Explain the theories proposed by John Locke in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding

all ideas come from experience contributed to sensationalism; "clean slate"

Identify the goal of Galileo's experimental method

pioneered by Galileo, the proper way to explore the workings of the universe was through repeatable experiments rather than speculation. Rather than speculate about what might or should happen, Galileo conducted experiments to find out what really did happen.

Know the theories developed by Johannes Kepler

planets movements are elliptical, not circular planets do not move at uniform speed the time a planet takes to orbit is related to the distance from the sun

Identify the fundamental goal of the Encyclopedia

published the 17 volume Encyclopedia; thousands of articles on variety of topics Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert = editors

Explain the response from people to Joseph II's conversion of labor obligations to cash payments

reforms induced resistance form landowners, clergy, and even peasants who distributed his motives

Describe the significance of the salons

regular meetings held in private homes; elegant and wealthy settings; often hosted by women encouraged discussions of science, literature, and philosophy; philosophers, nobles, and members of upper classes intermingled salons were often ornately decorated in rococo style

Describe the enlightened theories of Frederick II of Prussia

simplified laws to increase efficiency of legal system and strengthen his own power; modernized the concept of state by strengthening institutions of the bureaucracy, law and army; abolished torture

Describe Rousseau's beliefs in regards to women and the general will

thought gender roles should be sharply divided; women should be subordinate to men and passive in social situations General Will= sacred and absolute reflecting the common interest of the people although not necessarily the will of the majority