AP European History- Enlightenment
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Mary ✔✔Wollstonecraft British feminist of the eighteenth century who argued for women's
equality with men, even in voting, in her 1792 "Vindication of the Rights of Wo
...
AP European History- Enlightenment
Already Passed
Mary ✔✔Wollstonecraft British feminist of the eighteenth century who argued for women's
equality with men, even in voting, in her 1792 "Vindication of the Rights of Women."
Montesquieu ✔✔Philosophe who wrote "Spirit of Laws" in 1748. He described the British model
of divided branches of government with checks and balances as the ideal system, later influencing
the framing of the U.S. Constitution.
Voltaire ✔✔Philosophe who wrote the "Candide", satirizing prejudice, oppressive government,
and bigotry. Championed freedom of religion and thought.
Philosophes ✔✔Body of Enlightenment thinkers. Most famous for writing "Encyclopedia", a
handbook for Enlightenment ideas, etided be Denis Diderot. French term for philosophers.
Age of Enlightenment ✔✔Eighteenth-century period of scientific and philosophical innovation in
which people investigated human nature and sought to explain reality through rationalism, the
notion that truth comes only through rational, logical thinking. This period formed the basis of
modern science.
Laissez-faire ✔✔Economic philosophy of a "hands off" approach. Advocates that governments
should not in any way interfere with business, as the marketplace provides an "inisible hand" to
steer the economy. An early proponent was Adam Smith.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau ✔✔Philosphe who published the "Social Contract." he posited that people
are born good but are corrupted e education, laws, and society. He advocated a government based
on popular sovereignty and was distrustful of other philosophes' suffocating conformity to
"reason."atheist ✔✔A person who does not believe in the existence of God. This belief became prominent
in the West during the Enlightenment of the 18th century, as scientists and philosophers discovered
natural explanations for how the universe operated that did not rely on divine intervention.
Enlightened ✔✔Despots European rulers who sought to apply some of the reforms of the 18th
century Enlightenment to their governments without giving up their own absolutist authority.
These rulers were characterized by legal, administrative, and educational improvements when it
suited the state and as a means to enhance its power. Examples of these rulers include Frederick
the Great of Prussia (r. 1740-1786), Catherine the Great of Russia (r. 1762-1796), and Joseph II of
Austria (r. 1780-1790).
Freemasons ✔✔Members of Masonic lodges, social clubs organized around the elaborate secret
rituals of stonemasons' guilds. Membership provided a place outside the traditional channels of
socializing where nobles and middle-class professionals and even some artisans mingled and
shared their common interest in the Enlightenment and reform. The movement began in Great
Britain in the early 18th century and spread eastward across Europe. Although not explicitly
political, members encouraged equality among its members
utilitarianism ✔✔A liberal ideology promoted by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748-
1832). Based on the writings of John Locke (1632-1704), it argues that the best social and political
policies are those that produce - in Bentham's words - "the greatest good for the greatest number"
and are therefore the most useful, which, to him, meant liberalism. Liberals supported the
Enlightenment ideas of increased personal liberty and free trade in economics.
social ✔✔contract The doctrine that all political authority derives not from divine right but from
an implicit contract between citizens and their rulers. The idea emerged from the writings of
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and John Locke (1632-1704) in the second half of the 17th century,
although each came to different conclusions. Hobbes argued that his version of the doctrine gave
the ruler absolute power, while Locke claimed it implied a constitutional agreement between aruler and representatives of their subjects. Rousseau expanded on the theory in 1762, arguing that
the doctrine existed not between a ruler and his or her subjects, but among all members of society,
making it every individual's duty to subject their interests to what Rousseau called the "general
will."
salons ✔✔Informal gatherings, usually sponsored by middle-class or aristocratic women, that
provided a forum for new ideas and an opportunity to establish new intellectual contacts among
supporters of the Enlightenment in the 18th century. These i
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