Unit 4 Review Questions
CH:18 Q:6. Explain the importance of alliances in maintaining the European balance of power.
Alliances were very important in maintaining the European balance of Power because without them Europe would fall into chaos. The European countries needed to form alliances in order to beat their enemies at war. For example, in the War of Austrian Succession from 1740-1784 Prussia, France, and Spain fought Austria, Britain, and Holland. Now Austria and Prussia could both fight effectively against each other with the help of their allies. These alliances were also a way to reestablish the ancient feud between England and France. They fought on different sides so that they could hurt each other.
CH:20 Q:3. Compare the first and second phases of the French Revolution. Were the seeds of radical political change sown in the first phase?
During the first phase people just wanted to be able to have a say in the government, and for the monarch not to have complete rule. They tried to transform into a 'constitutional monarchy' but the king didn't go along with it. The frustration was fueled by bad economy, food shortages, and radical newspaper printing and eventually got to the point where people hated the king and wanted to have all the power themselves. As a result the king was executed and many government officials were massacred during revolts during the second phase.
CH:20 Q:4. Given the numerous foreign and domestic challenges that France faced in the spring of 1793, was the Reign of Terror an appropriate response to instill in the French people a "single will" of revolutionary fervor?
In some ways it was effective at first, because it helped to keep anyone who opposed the revolution from voicing their opinion because if they did they'd be executed. Once the killings continued and became ridiculous, the public's opinion of Robespierre diminished and his power was eventually taken away. This gave room for the revolution to die and a new monarchy to arise.
CH:18 Q: 3. Discuss the different approaches to government taken by Louis XIV and Frederick the Great. Did the two monarchs differ fundamentally in their vision and techniques of government?
Louis XIV was self centered and Fredrick the Great was trying to do what was best for the state. Louis XIV said "I am the state" when Fredrick the Great said "I am the first servant of the state".
CH:20 Q:6. Did Napoleon advance or subvert the accomplishments of the French Revolution?
Napoleon both subverted and advanced the accomplishments of the French Revolution. Napoleon fused the old forms with the new ideology by combining the Old Regime with the new France. He advanced the ideals of the French Revolution by really getting the French people to love him and trust in him. He made them feel as though he was just like them: a commoner who was able to rise to power. However, he also subverted the accomplishments of the French Revolution by becoming the dictator of France and then even crowning himself King of France.
CH:19 Q:2. Compare the social and cultural changes that were taking place in the different social classes over the course of the eighteenth century.
One of the biggest social changes in the eighteenth century was that the middle class, otherwise known as the Bourgeoisie, started to make the family one of the most important parts of their life. Young men and woman were now not married just for economic reasons, but instead out of love. They also started valuing and caring for their children more. This was because now the child mortality rates were going down. If a child lived past the age of three they had a very good chance of surviving till adulthood. Culturally the food staples in many countries changed. Indian corn became a staple of most of western Europe because it had a higher nutritional value and more food per acre than traditional grains. The potato became the staple of Ireland, parts of Prussia, Eastern Europe, France, and Spain. It could be grown in poor soil, required less labor, and yielded a more abundant and nutritious harvest.
CH:18 Q:1. Peter the Great's death inaugurated the period of "the emancipation of the nobility." Discuss the changing status of nobles in Russia from Peter's reign to thereign of Catherine the Great. Why did the elite nobility desire "emancipation" in this period?
Peter expected a lot out of the nobilties and they were required provide lifetime service to the military. The nobilities services to the state grew in his reign. When Peter died their were weak rulers after him therefore the nobility slowly took back their power and educed their years of military service. In order for the tsar to gain the throne the nobles would make them give them more power to gain their loyalty. The desired emancipation because it was in return for their privilege and status.
CH:18 Q:2. Why was Catherine the Great considered "great"? Who was greater—Peter, Frederick II, or Catherine II?
Russia had always been searching for a warm water port, and Catherine the Great got Russia a warm water port and that is why she is considered great. This is debatable who is greater. Catherine is great for getting the warm water port when Peter and Fredrick are great for their military services. I believe peter is the greatest for he opened up russia to western european tactics. He helped modernize Russia and without him russia would not have modernized and they may not exist.
CH:19 Q: 3. Discuss the evolving concept of the family occasioned by social and economic dislocation in eighteenth-century Europe. How and why were notions of companionship, privacy, and childhood transformed in this period? Which segments of the European population were influenced most by these developments?
The Bourgeoisie, the middle class of France, were the most influenced by most of these developments. Companionship was changed drastically for the Bourgeoisie, they were now marrying out of love, not only economic and political reasons. The extreme formality of marriage was gone: husbands and wives spent more time in each other's companies and were not kept apart before their marriage. They also built their houses to center on them instead of visitors. They now had private rooms for just the family, which brought the whole family together and made them closer. They also became more attached to their children, because the childhood mortality rates were going down. If a child lived to be three years old there was a high chance that it would survive to adulthood. Also, childhood was now seen as a separate stage of life, instead of being mini-adults. Therefore more toys and child clothing were produced. Also books were now being directed at children. Over all the bourgeoisies started to value their family very highly and spent more time in each other's companies.
CH:18 Q: 5. Discuss the British concepts of the mixed constitution and the King-in-Parliament. How did the British constitution succeed in the age of absolute monarchs?
The British had a parliament which no other country had. This made Britain stronger than the other countries. It was not an absolute monarch and they had already had their war about absolute monarchs. There were three separate groups: monarch, lords, and commons. They all functioned together. Each government had their role in the government.
CH:19 Q:1. Scholars often debate the impact of Enlightenment thought on eighteenth-century Europe. Compare and contrast the impact of Enlightenment thinking in eastern and western Europe. Where was the impact of the Enlightenment first most profound and why?
The Enlightenment allowed even the common people in Europe to start thinking of their own importance, considering new ideas such as individual and equal rights, and the doubt of whether an absolute monarchy (or even a monarchy at all) was really necessary. This was an extremely powerful new way of thinking in France, and it eventually led to the beginnings of the French Revolution and the execution of a king.
CH:19 Q:4. The Enlightenment emphasized the importance of the individual, and the pursuits of pleasure, happiness, and self-interest. What impact are these values having on social and political institutions today?
The Enlightenment emphasized the importance of the individual, and the pursuits of pleasure, happiness, and self-interest. The impacts this has on social and political institutions today is that everyone is trying to work in their own best interest. For example our country is based on the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. All of these three values are found in the Enlightenment. People still want the best for themselves, to be free and equal, and to be able to change your status in life. Social mobility was starting to come around with the Enlightenment and today we have developed this idea even further so that we have a lot of social mobility today.
CH:19 Q: 5. What impact did the growing population make on European society?
The growing population in Europe had a huge impact on European society. One of the main impacts was that the number of the poor increased drastically and so more and more migrants poured into the cities to find work and beg for food. Therefore the European cities were growing quickly and continuously. In the cities the crime rate now went up because more people were trying to survive and when they became hungry enough or could not feed their families they resorted to petty thievery. This population boom also allowed parents to become more attached to their children because now they had a better chance of survival. Also countries were forced to find solutions on how to feed their growing populations which led to better agricultural techniques.
CH:20 Q:1. Discuss the character of social, economic, and political life in France under the old regime. Which attributes of the old regime were demolished by the revolution? Which endured?
The peasants were unhappy under the monarchy because the taxes were falling heavily on them. The upper class and nobility were unhappy because the monarchy had all of the power and they felt like they deserved it, not the king. From Louis XIV to Louis XVI the French national debt grew tremendously, hurting the economy greatly. They were fighting more wars than they could afford. There was also a food shortage because of bad crops and weather. Some saw this as God's way of saying he was angry at the monarchy. During the first phase of the revolution the idea of royal absolutism was demolished and during the second phase the monarchy was demolished.
CH:20 Q:2. Discuss the social composition of the groups that participated in the French Revolution. Was the revolution primarily the response of a single class or of the French people as a whole?
The revolution was fueled by the third estate, which made up 97% of the French population. They were unhappy because even though they were the majority, they were not getting a say in anything. The other two estates only made up 3% of the population, with the first estate being 1% w/the high clergy, low clergy. The second estate was 2% and was the nobility.
CH:18 Q: 4. Discuss the changes that marked peasant life in eastern Europe in the eighteenth century. How did the life of Russian peasants differ from that of Austrian peasants in 1700? In 1790?
The russian peasants were serfs and did not have many rights. The austrian peasants used to be serfs but Joseph II let them free and they were now peasants and not tied to the land. The austrian peasants had more right than the russian serfs.
CH:20 Q:5. Given the revolution's desire to establish liberty, equality, and fraternity for all men, why were the revolutionaries so reluctant to give women the same privileges?
Women were always considered different from men, not needing to get involved in politics or other 'manly' things. They also weren't considered to be a persecuted group like the Jews or the Protestants so when the revolution came about nobody really thought it was applied to them.