FCPS World II SOL Standards: WHII 6d
The Age of Enlightenment (1700-1800 C.E.)
You Mean that People Didn’t Always Believe in Democracy?
Power to the People
From the end of the 17th to the beginning of the
19th centuries many Europeans wanted progress in
society. Using ideas from the scientific revolution,
Europeans applied knowledge and reason to society
and politics. They questioned the power leaders had
and examined different types of political systems.
These ideas began a revolution in thinking that
we call the European Enlightenment.
These thinkers questioned many traditional ideas
established by the Catholic Church and the ruling
kings and queens. One central idea that was
attacked was divine right. This is the idea that a
king or queen ruled with the will of God on their
side. However, people wanted to control their own
Map of Europe in 1700. The majority of people were ruled by absolute monarchs.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment#mediaviewer/File:Europe,_1700_-_1714.png
lives and talked about their natural rights, or the
rights to live freely and fairly. Philosophers said that the government needed to protect the rights of the people and govern
according to fair laws. If it did not, they said the people had the right to change the government, even by force. These ideas
were essential to the American Revolution in 1776, the French Revolution in 1789, the Haitian Revolution in 1791, and
other uprisings in the 1800s.
The Move Away from Absolute Monarchs
Absolute monarchs ruled with complete control and often claimed that they had the authority of God on their side. Louis
XIV of France was one example. He claimed that he was the government and had total power in France. The symbol
of Louis XIV’s power was the Palace of Versailles. Taxes on the people of France paid for this beautiful and expensive
palace that was built outside of Paris. Louis XIV demanded that all French nobles live in the palace, increasing his control
over the country. In the 17th and 18th centuries these kinds of monarchs
were common in Europe. But, writers and thinkers wanted to know what
gave rulers their power.
There were many important thinkers from this era. Some of them include:
1) Thomas Hobbes, author of Leviathan. He wrote that humans were
naturally primitive and violent and that they needed a government to
protect them from themselves.
The Palace of Versailles
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Versailles#mediaviewer/
File:Zuidgevel_Corps_de_logis_rond_1675_Anonieme_schilder.jpg
2) John Locke, author of Two Treatises on Government. He wrote that
people were sovereign (that is, they ruled themselves) and that they
gave their consent to the government for the protection of their natural
rights of life, liberty and property. He said these rights existed for all
people and were not given to them by the government.
3) Montesquieu, author of The Spirit of Laws. He wrote that the best form of government had a separation of powers.
The three branches he identified were legislative, executive and judicial.
4) Jean-Jacques Rousseau, author of The Social Contract. He wrote that government was a contract between the
rulers and the people. He also stressed equality for all people.
5) Voltaire, an author who focused on religious tolerance and the separation of church (religion) and state
(government). Through his writings, like the novel Candide, Voltaire criticized political and religious leaders.
FCPS HS Social Studies © 2014
Age of Enlightenment (cont.) WHII 6d
The European Enlightenment
Together, these ideas were called the European Enlightenment. Enlighten
means to turn on a light; these ideas were a new way of thinking about
government and society. The ideas of the Era of Enlightenment were not
just read and discussed. They created the desire for freedom and liberty
and led to the American Revolution and the French Revolution. In America, Thomas Jefferson and others used these ideas to
write the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America, and the Bill of Rights. The ideas of natural
rights, religious freedom, and limited powers of government have spread. They are part of the laws of many nations today.
Key Vocabulary
Divine right: the belief that God gave a king
or queen power, allowing them to control
without limit
Natural rights: rights that all people have
when born, first summarized by John Locke,
including life, liberty and property
Consent: agreement
French Revolution: A period from 1789-1799
where the king of France was removed from
power and democratic power increased
Separation of church and state: the division
between religion and government, summarized
by Voltaire
Absolute monarch: a king or queen with
complete, centralized power over a country’s
population
Separation of power: Montesquieu’s idea that
the executive, legislative, and judicial powers
should be separated into three different parts
of government
Sovereign: to have independent control over
something; not dependent on someone else
Quick Review
1. The graphic organizer (below) best expresses the ideas of:
A. Thomas Hobbes
B. Montesquieu
C. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
D. John Locke
3. Absolute monarchs usually claimed that they had
power based on:
A. Democracy
B. Divine Right
C. Natural Rights
D. Economic Necessity
2. What answer best replaces the question mark?
A. Ideas of Thomas Hobbes
B. Ideas of Voltaire
C. Ideas of John Locke
D. Ideas of European monarchs
4. Based on the ideas of the Enlightenment, describe an ideal
government in a paragraph or by drawing and labeling a
picture that represents it.
Connection to Today
Resources
Think about the ideas of the Enlightenment. Some people think that
currently the world is going through another era of Enlightenment.
What do you think? Provide examples to support your opinion.
Learn 360
● The Ideas of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke
http://goo.gl/l1neze
Library Databases - GALE
● The Enlightenment:
http://worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1185552?terms=enli
ghtenment+
FCPS HS Social Studies © 2014