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Unit 5: Absolutism and the Enlightenment

Instructional Videos

Targets

  • I can explain why some European monarchs were perceived, by there subjects, as absolutists. 

  • I can explain why and how Englishmen resisted Absolutism. 

  • I can identify prominent Enlightenment thinkers and explain how their ideas developed as a reaction to the English Civil War. 

  • I can show how the ideas of the Enlightenment instigated and influenced revolutions in France, Russia, and the United States.  

Unit Overview

Absolute Monarchs had become the standard in the world by the 17th century. Almost every nation on Earth was ruled by a man who had complete power within their country. As the old saying goes, Power corrupts. This unit explores examples of how and why that power corrupted the men who controlled various nations. It also explores how the people began to respond to these corrupt leaders. The Enlightenment was an unprecedented shift in thinking about why government exists and how it should be run. 

Need to Know 

People 

  • Louis XIV

  • Charles I 

  • William and Mary

  • Peter the Great

  • Catherine the Great

  • Voltaire

  • Locke

  • Rousseau

  • Montesquieu

  • Hobbes

  • Louis XVI

  • Napoleon

Places

  • Palace at Versailles

  • St. Petersburg

  • London

  • Paris

  • United States

​

Events 

  • English Civil War

  • American Revolution

  • French Revolution

  • Storming of the Bastille

  • Rise of Napoleon

Ideas

  • Absolutism

  • Westernization

  • Divine Rights of Kings

  • Democracy

  • Consent of the Governed

  • Social Contract

  • Unalienable Rights

  • Branches of Government

  • Freedom of Religion

  • Freedom of Speech

Miscellaneous

  • Declaration of Independence 

  • US Constitution

  • Restoration

  • Glorious Revolution

  • English bill of Rights

NearPod Codes

The Enlightenment - XAZEF

French Revolution - HFBXO

Review Activities

From the State

Social and cultural patterns in the Hapsburg Empire

  • Very diverse empire that included many ethnic and cultural groups, which often resulted in conflict

  • Focus on protection of Catholicism from Islamic influence and Protestant influence

  • Development of nationalism within the diverse groups in the empire

Charles V

  • Ruled the largest collection of European lands since Charlemagne

  • Failed efforts to unite Europe under a Catholic empire

  • Abdication of throne, division of empire

Development of the rights of Englishmen

  • Oliver Cromwell and the execution of Charles I

  • The restoration of Charles II

  • Development of political parties/factions

  • Glorious Revolution (William and Mary)

  • Increase of parliamentary power and decrease of royal power

  • English Bill of Rights of 1689

Social and cultural patterns in Russia

  • Ethnic diversity

  • Religion and Orthodox Church

  • Ivan the Terrible

  • Peasants and serfdom

  • Increasing autocracy

Peter the Great: “Westernization” of Russia

  • Peter the Great “westernized” the Russian state and society, transforming political, religious, and cultural institutions.

  • Examples of “westernization” included western dress/appearance, moving the capital to St. Petersburg, and modernization of the military and industry.

  • Catherine the Great continued the process of “westernization.”

Characteristics of absolute monarchies

  • Centralization of power

  • Concept of rule by divine right

Absolute monarchs

  • Louis XIV of France: Palace of Versailles as a symbol of royal power

The Enlightenment

  • Emphasized reason, analysis, and individualism

  • Stimulated religious pluralism

  • Fueled democratic revolutions around the world

Enlightenment thinkers and their ideas

  • Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan: Humans exist in a primitive “state of nature” and consent to government for self-protection.

  • John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government: People are sovereign and consent to government for protection of natural rights to life, liberty, and property.

  • Montesquieu: The best form of government depends on a country’s size, climate, and other factors; he popularized the concept of separation of powers.

  • Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s The Social Contract: Government is a contract between rulers and the people.

  • Voltaire: Hostile to religious fanaticism and to religious beliefs in general.

Influence of the Enlightenment

  • Political philosophies of the Enlightenment fueled revolution in the Americas and France.

  • Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence incorporated Enlightenment ideas.

  • The Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights incorporated Enlightenment ideas.

Causes of the French Revolution

  • Internal causes—economic crisis and weak leadership

  • Influence of Enlightenment ideas

  • Influence of the American Revolution

  • Provided a successful example of overthrowing a monarchy

  • French participation in the American Revolution

Events of the French Revolution

  • Storming of the Bastille

  • Reign of Terror

  • Founding of the first French Republic

Outcomes of the French Revolution

  • End of the absolute monarchy of Louis XVI

  • Collapse into terror

  • Rise of Napoleon

Social and cultural patterns in the Italian states

  • Periods of foreign control by Spain and Austria

  • Culture was influenced by foreign control

  • Rome remained the center of the Catholic Church

  • Influence from classical civilizations maintained Italy’s position as the cultural center of Europe

Social and cultural patterns in the German states

  • Shared a common language

  • Spread of Protestant faith

  • No common currency or uniform law

  • Devastation of the Thirty Years’ War

  • Rivalry between Holy Roman Empire and Prussia for political dominance

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