The Enlightenment for AP European History

Definition of the Enlightenment

• European intellectual movement in the 18th century
• Applied rational thinking to social and human institutions
• Three main emphases:
  1. Methods of science (e.g., Kepler, Newton, Galileo) could improve society (Rationalism)
  2. Scientific method could discover laws of society
  3. Enlightenment thought could lead to progress in the human spirit

Major French Philosophes

Montesquieu

• Against absolutism under Louis XIV
• Wrote "The Spirit of the Laws"
• Argued for separation of powers in government to avoid tyranny and encourage equality

Voltaire

• Most famous and representative of the philosophes
• Wrote ~70 books criticizing social and religious institutions of France
• Against religious intolerance
• Observed England's religious tolerance and criticized French Catholicism as oppressive
• Supported enlightened absolutism, believing ordinary people were incapable of self-government

Denis Diderot

• Responsible for cataloging Enlightenment worldview in "Encyclopedia"
• Collaborated with other thinkers to produce over 72,000 articles
• Significant in spreading Enlightenment ideas

Spread of Enlightenment Ideas

• Salons: Private meetings in opulent houses for intellectual discussion
• Coffee houses: For less wealthy individuals to discuss ideas while drinking coffee

Enlightenment and Government

John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Natural Rights: Rights to life, liberty, and property granted by the Creator
  • Rights cannot be taken away by a monarch
• Social Contract: Power to govern resides in the people
  • People consent to be governed to protect their natural rights
  • Right and responsibility to abolish tyrannical government

Gender and Equality

• Rousseau believed in the inequality of men and women
• Mary Wollstonecraft opposed this in her book "A Vindication of the Rights of Women"
  • Argued for equal rights and education for women

Enlightenment and Economics

Adam Smith (Scottish Enlightenment)

• Wrote "The Wealth of Nations"
• Criticized mercantilist policies
• Advocated for free market and free trade
• Argued for minimal government interference in economy (supply and demand)

French Physiocrats

• Advocated for laissez-faire economics (minimal government role)
• Robert Jacques Turgot: Key advocate

Religion and Metaphysical Beliefs

Voltaire

• Popularized Deism: Belief in an uninvolved God
  • God as a clockmaker

David Hume

• Developed Skepticism
  • Knowledge gained through senses and material reality
  • God and creation not legitimate articles of knowledge

Denis Diderot

• Atheism: Belief that no God exists; popularized through "Encyclopedia"

Religious Movements

• Religious revival movements emphasized personal piety and individual relationships with God

German Pietism

• Led by Count Nicolas von Zinzendorf
• Stressed mystical, personal religious experience over church affiliation

Methodist Movement

• Led by John Wesley
• Preached personal experience with God, outside established church structures

Conclusion

• For further review, explore additional unit materials and review packs for AP European History.