Enlightenment & Revolution Unit 7: Political Revolutions, 1750-1914

Mixed all in to the time period between 1750 and 1914, we have already seen lots of Revolution in Science and Industry…. But as the world was changing and becoming more and more connected, news of Enlightened thoughts on rights and the way a country should or shouldn’t be ran, also starting spreading….and it will spread across the globe, making the time from 1750 to 1914, also a revolution in politics….into a time of Political Revolutions….

The key ideas that led to the Revolutions Period? The Scientific Revolution begins as scientists replace old ideas with new theories. New approaches to science include using observation and experiments to develop theories. In astronomy, scientists challenge the earth-centered model of the universe…..soon people are challenging more than science…

2) Enlightenment philosophers became known for admiring scientists’ use of reason to understand the natural world. These philosophers wanted to start promoting the use of reason to understand government, religion, education, and economics. They advocated government reform and social improvement.

Remember the monarchs we saw that were open to enlightened change? 3) Enlightenment ideas spread… in pamphlets and formal discussions and in books. The new ideals of order and reason are reflected in art, music and books. Even European monarchs begin making limited reforms based on Enlightenment ideas… Remember the monarchs we saw that were open to enlightened change?

Frederick II of Prussia We saw Frederick, who modernized the Prussian bureaucracy and civil service and promoted religious tolerance throughout his realm.

Catherine the Great, Russia We saw Catherine,who founded the famous Smolny Institute, for girls …and lured the scientists from Berlin to the Russian capital ….she proposed to Diderot that he should complete his great work on the 1st Encyclopedia in Russia under her protection …she also called a commission of all classes in Russia to consider the needs of the Russian Empire and the means of satisfying them

Joseph II, HRE (Holy Roman Emperor of Hapsburg lands-Vienna) We also saw Joseph, who inspired a complete reform of the legal system, abolished brutal punishments and the death penalty in his realm …also giving full legal freedom to serfs …and elementary education for all boys and girls …He created scholarships for talented poor students, …and even established schools for the religious minorities …..His policy of religious toleration was the most advanced of any state in Europe

And, in review, who were the Enlightened thinkers and their thoughts that inspired those rulers and the Revolutions to come? Pass out Topics Sheet… ….starting with #16

Thomas Hobbes Hobbes was very different in thought compared to the other philosophers that I will mention again…. ….He believed that without government, people would constantly be fighting amongst themselves. ….that life without government would be “poor, nasty, brutish, and short." ….He thought that the best government is one in which the ruler has absolute power. ….and that the people never have the right to rebel.

John Locke Locke thought that people have a natural right to life, liberty, and property. ….and that the purpose of government is: to protect the rights of life, liberty, and property. to create order in society. …He thought that citizens should have the right to rebel against a government that does not respect the rights of its citizens. ….and that rulers should stay in power only as long as they have the consent of the people they govern. His major written piece that influenced government was the Second Treatise on Government Locke’s ideas influenced authors of US Declaration of Independence and French revolutionaries in the 1790s.

Voltaire ….Fought for tolerance, reason, and freedom of thought, expression, and religious belief Voltaire also believed that freedom of thought is most important saying, "I do not agree with a word you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it." This would of course later be termed as our freedom of speech

Baron de’Montesquieu …..Advocated separation of powers and checks and balances to keep any individual or group from gaining complete control of the government. He is one of the greatest influences on the US Constitution.

Rousseau Rousseau was a Swiss philosopher He believed that the government should be a contract between people, not between the people and a ruler. He thought people should be equal and have a right to individual freedoms …..and that people should give up some freedom in favor of the General Will of the people, or what we term now as popular sovereignty #19 popular sovereignty–The concept that political power rests with the people who can create, alter, or abolish government. People express themselves through voting and participation.

All of these Enlightened thinkers ideas were going to spread across the globe… Now, in Unit 7: Political Revolutions, 1750-1914, we are going to see these thoughts of rights and government thought put into action….1st with the English rebelling against their monarch in 1688, in what is now called the Glorious Revolution Book Lesson Pg. 536-539 Section 5 Assessment Directions: Do 1) Terms and Names, 2) Taking Notes 3) Evaluating Decisions