Unit 5: The Enlightenment (1750-1900)

Introduction

• Period: 1750-1900
• Focus: Revolutions worldwide
• Significance: Enlightenment provided the ideological framework for these revolutions

What is the Enlightenment?

• Definition: Intellectual movement applying rationalism and empirical approaches to the natural world and human relationships.
• Rationalism: Reason is the most reliable source of true knowledge.
• Empiricism: Knowledge comes through the senses via rigorous experimentation.
• Origins: Ideas developed during the Scientific Revolution in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Shift in Authority

• Religious Re-examination: Questioning the role of religion in public life.
• Christianity: Seen as a revealed religion with unquestionable divine commands.
• New Religious Views:
  • Deism: Belief in a non-intervening creator.
  • Atheism: Rejection of religious belief and divine beings.

Key Enlightenment Ideas

• Individualism: The individual is the basic element of society.
• Natural Rights: Inalienable rights such as life, liberty, and property (e.g., John Locke's ideas).
• Social Contract: Governments should protect natural rights and can be overthrown if tyrannical.

Effects of Enlightenment Ideas

1. Revolutions: Ideological basis for the American, French, Haitian, and Latin American Revolutions.
2. Nationalism: Intensification of common identity based on shared language, religion, and customs.
3. Expansion of Suffrage:
   • Post-American Revolution suffrage extended over time.
   • Enlightenment values promoted liberty and equality.
4. Abolition of Slavery:
   • Criticism of slavery's disregard for natural rights.
   • Britain's abolition in 1807 and influences from slave rebellions like the Great Jamaica Revolt.
5. End of Serfdom: Transition to industrial economies reduced the need for serfs.
   • Peasant revolts encouraged the end of serfdom in Europe.
6. Women's Suffrage Movements:
   • Women began demanding voting rights and equality (e.g., Olympe de Gouges in France, Seneca Falls Convention in the US).

Conclusion

• Enlightenment ideas significantly influenced political, social, and economic changes during 1750-1900.
• Led to revolutionary changes and set the stage for modern political ideologies.

Study Resources

• AP World Heimler Review Guide: Suggested for further study and exam preparation.