The Enlightenment in Europe

Section 2Enlightenment in Europe

Main Idea: A revolution in intellectual activity changed

Europeans’ view of government and societyWhy it matters now: The various freedoms enjoyed in many

countries today are a result of Enlightenment thinking.

The EnlightenmentPhilosophers applied reason to all

aspects of societyAlso known as the Age of Reason

Scientific revolution spurs re- examination of society during the 1600s and

1700sThomas Hobbes- Social ContractPeople are selfish and ambitiousShould submit to an authoritarian ruler

to prevent disorder

John Locke- Natural RightsGovernment exists to protect

inalienable rightsIf the government doesn’t protect

them the people can change government

French philosophes are social critics in mid-1700sValue reason, nature, happiness, progress, liberty

VoltaireAKA Francois Marie Arouet

Used satire to fight for tolerance, reason, freedom of religious beliefs and speech

Baron de Montesquieu Favors separation of powers between 3 branches

Jean Jaques RousseauLegitimate government come from the consent of

the governed

Believed in direct democracy

Cesare BeccariaWants to reform the justice systemCalls for speedy trials and criminal rights

Women and the EnlightenmentMany thinkers take traditional view of

women’s role

Mary Wollstonecraft argues for women’s rights

Women need education to be virtuous

Women should enter male professions

Some wealthy women use status to spread Enlightenment values

Disagreed with Rousseau

Legacy of the EnlightenmentPhilosophes not activists, but

inspire revolutionsScientific breakthroughs show human capacity to improve societyIncreased secular outlook

New knowledge leads people to question religious beliefs

Importance of individualEmphasis on individual rights

and accomplishments

Over a few decades Enlightenment writers challenged long-held ideas

Divine right of monarchsThe Union of the church and stateUnequal Social Class

Enlightenment thinkers promoted long- term beliefs shaped Western Civilization

Reason took the center stage for the Enlightenment

The End

Quiz A

Quiz B

Quiz A

1 - What term best describes John Locke’s belief that a government’s power comes from the people and is formed to protect human being’s right to life, liberty and property?

2 - Which French Enlightenment writer believed governmental power should be divided among three branches in order to keep any individual or group from gaining total control of the government?

3 - One of the most persuasive women writers during the Enlightenment was Mary Wollstonecraft who disagreed with Rousseau that a woman’s what should not be secondary to a man’s?

4 - Over a span of a few decades, which type of writers challenged long-held ideas about the divine right of monarchs, the union of church and state, and unequal social class?

5 - Which revolutionary scientist described a single theory of motion and that every object in the universe attracts every other subject and the degree of attraction depends on the mass of an object?

6 - What term describes the belief by Aristotle, the Christian church, and most scholars during the middle ages, that the earth was the center of the universe?

7 - The age of European exploration and the Printing Press helped spread challenging ideas that fueled a great deal of scientific research in what two fields?