The Enlightenment Part B

1.What two European countries were at the forefront of the Enlightenment? England (Great Britain after 1707) France 2. Who were the Philosophes? French thinkers who held that human reason could be used to enhance (improve) human society

3. What types of professions did many of the Philosophes have? Many were writers, professors, economists, and social reformers 4. But in a sense, the Philosophes were what? Professional Intellectuals who believed that rational criticism could be applied to everything, including religion and politics

5. Who were three prominent Philosophes? Montesquieu Voltaire Diderot

6. What did Baron von Montesquieu believe about government? He believed that a separation of powers between the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of government in which each branch would check and balance the powers of the others would help establish a good government for a country

7. Montesquieu’s ideas about Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances in government greatly influenced what future United States document? The United States Constitution, written in 1787, and basically enacted in 1789

8. What did Voltaire (a French writer) think of traditional Christianity? He was very critical of it 9. Regarding religion, what did Voltaire believe about the relationship between religion and society? He was a strong believer in religious toleration

10. According to Voltaire, God created a universe that was left to operate according to what? Natural Laws 11. What sort of religious believer was Voltaire? He was a Deist who believed that God was distant from human affairs

12. What were Diderot’s contributions to the Enlightenment? He edited the Encyclopedia, a multi-volume collection dedicated to the expansion of knowledge, social reform, religious toleration, and the changing of “the general direction of thinking.”