Question 1

Which of the following is true of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment?

Accepted Answer

A)  It condemned the ideas of Locke and Newton. 
B)  It remained skeptical toward the powers of human reason and of science. 
C)  It was a time in which Europeans were firmly convinced of the regularity and harmony of nature. 
D)  It was a time in which European people knew little about the value of rational analysis. 
A)  It condemned the ideas of Locke and Newton. 
B)  It remained skeptical toward the powers of human reason and of science. 
C)  It was a time in which Europeans were firmly convinced of the regularity and harmony of nature. 
D)  It was a time in which European people knew little about the value of rational analysis. C

Question 2

What was the greatest defect of the pre-1795 Polish state? Using another seventeenth- or eighteenth-century European state as a model, explain how this defect could have been remedied (or explain why it was irremediable).

Accepted Answer

The greatest defect of the pre-1795 Polish state was its lack of a strong central authority and a clear system of governance. Unlike other European states of the time, Poland was a confederation of nobles with a weak monarchy, which led to a lack of unity and coherence in decision-making and governance.

One possible model for remedying this defect could be the example of the Kingdom of Prussia in the 18th century. Under the leadership of Frederick the Great, Prussia underwent significant administrative and military reforms that centralized power and strengthened the authority of the monarchy. This allowed for more efficient governance and decision-making, as well as a more unified and cohesive state.

Alternatively, the defect of the pre-1795 Polish state may have been irremediable due to the deeply entrenched power and privileges of the nobility, known as the szlachta. The nobles were resistant to any attempts to centralize power or limit their own authority, making it difficult to implement meaningful reforms without facing significant opposition and potential unrest.

In conclusion, the greatest defect of the pre-1795 Polish state was its lack of a strong central authority and clear system of governance. While the example of the Kingdom of Prussia demonstrates how this defect could have been remedied through centralized reforms, it is also possible that the deeply entrenched power of the nobility made this defect irremediable in the context of pre-1795 Poland.

Question 3

The outlines of most of the major European states had emerged by 1740. How did the rulers of those political entities pursue the goals of enlightened despotism in the eighteenth century?

Accepted Answer

The rulers of major European states pursued the goals of enlightened despotism in the eighteenth century by implementing reforms and policies aimed at improving the lives of their subjects while maintaining absolute power. They sought to modernize their countries, promote education and culture, and improve the economy and infrastructure.

One way they pursued enlightened despotism was through the implementation of legal and administrative reforms. Rulers such as Frederick the Great of Prussia and Catherine the Great of Russia enacted laws that aimed to create a more efficient and just legal system, as well as to improve the functioning of the government.

Another way they pursued enlightened despotism was through the promotion of education and culture. Many rulers established schools, universities, and academies, and supported the arts and sciences. They also encouraged the spread of Enlightenment ideas and philosophies, such as rationalism and individualism.

Furthermore, enlightened despots sought to improve the economy and infrastructure of their countries. They implemented policies to promote agriculture, industry, and trade, and invested in public works projects such as roads, canals, and bridges.

Overall, the rulers of major European states pursued the goals of enlightened despotism by implementing a range of reforms and policies aimed at modernizing their countries and improving the lives of their subjects, while maintaining their absolute power.

Question 4

The democratic revolutions rejected:

Accepted Answer

A)  the special representation set aside for special groups. 
B)  the separation between religion and civil rights. 
C)  the declaration of rights and written constitutions. 
D)  the idea of national citizenship. 
A)  the special representation set aside for special groups. 
B)  the separation between religion and civil rights. 
C)  the declaration of rights and written constitutions. 
D)  the idea of national citizenship.

Question 5

George III sought to increase the influence of the crown and therefore:

Accepted Answer

A)  outlawed the Tories. 
B)  stood above the various factions. 
C)  created a new faction, the "king's friends." 
D)  ended the practice of granting pensions and favors to politicians. 
A)  outlawed the Tories. 
B)  stood above the various factions. 
C)  created a new faction, the "king's friends." 
D)  ended the practice of granting pensions and favors to politicians.

Question 6

For Europeans, the success of the American Revolution was a powerful factor in promoting:

Accepted Answer

A)  the French Revolution. 
B)  a rising confidence in self-government. 
C)  constitutionalism. 
D)  All of these are correct. 
A)  the French Revolution. 
B)  a rising confidence in self-government. 
C)  constitutionalism. 
D)  All of these are correct.

Question 7

How did the various outlying areas of the British Empire react to policies of centralization? What were the long-term consequences of those reactions?

Accepted Answer

The various outlying areas of the Britis

Question 8

Compare and contrast the political ideas of two of the following: Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau. Whose ideas do you think were the most influential?

Accepted Answer

Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau were

Question 9

In the context of foreign affairs, which of the following was the supreme plan of Catherine the Great?

Accepted Answer

A)  To replace Greeks as the dominant element throughout the Middle East 
B)  To annex Poland with Austria and Prussia 
C)  To bring Poland into a war of conquest against the Ottoman Empire 
D)  To penetrate the Polish and Ottoman territories 
A)  To replace Greeks as the dominant element throughout the Middle East 
B)  To annex Poland with Austria and Prussia 
C)  To bring Poland into a war of conquest against the Ottoman Empire 
D)  To penetrate the Polish and Ottoman territories

Question 10

Maria Theresa undertook a program of internal consolidation of her empire in which she broke the power of local governments and guild monopolies except in _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  Bohemia 
B)  Moravia 
C)  Austria 
D)  Hungary 
A)  Bohemia 
B)  Moravia 
C)  Austria 
D)  Hungary

Question 11

By the end of the era of enlightened despotism, prior to the French Revolution:

Accepted Answer

A)  the despots had reached a point at which they could not accomplish more without encountering massive opposition. 
B)  there was a general aristocratic revival bordering on feudalism. 
C)  there was a revival of religion. 
D)  All of these are correct. 
A)  the despots had reached a point at which they could not accomplish more without encountering massive opposition. 
B)  there was a general aristocratic revival bordering on feudalism. 
C)  there was a revival of religion. 
D)  All of these are correct.

Question 12

The British countered the American argument that Parliament had no authority to tax them because Americans were not represented by replying that:

Accepted Answer

A)  taxation was a royal prerogative. 
B)  no one was represented in Parliament. 
C)  Americans enjoyed "virtual representation" through other members of Parliament. 
D)  new elections were planned to elect Americans to Parliament. 
A)  taxation was a royal prerogative. 
B)  no one was represented in Parliament. 
C)  Americans enjoyed "virtual representation" through other members of Parliament. 
D)  new elections were planned to elect Americans to Parliament.

Question 13

All of the following are true of enlightened despotism except:

Accepted Answer

A)  it pushed aside customary and common law by enacting new legal codes. 
B)  it opposed the special powers of the church. 
C)  it was the culmination of the institution of monarchy as a progressive force in history. 
D)  it emphasized that the monarchy was on the whole nostalgic and backward-looking. 
A)  it pushed aside customary and common law by enacting new legal codes. 
B)  it opposed the special powers of the church. 
C)  it was the culmination of the institution of monarchy as a progressive force in history. 
D)  it emphasized that the monarchy was on the whole nostalgic and backward-looking.

Question 14

What were the main ideas of the Physiocrats? Why was the phrase laissez-faire used to describe many of their ideas?

Accepted Answer

The Physiocrats were a group of French e

Question 15

What were the practical motivations behind the attempts of monarchs to pursue the goals of enlightened despotism in the eighteenth century?

Accepted Answer

The practical motivations behind the att

Question 16

In order to watch over the whole structure of his enlightened reform, Joseph II created:

Accepted Answer

A)  a central diet or parliament. 
B)  an elected cabinet of ministers. 
C)  a secret police. 
D)  a citizen militia. 
A)  a central diet or parliament. 
B)  an elected cabinet of ministers. 
C)  a secret police. 
D)  a citizen militia.

Question 17

Characteristic of the demands of the age of "Democratic Revolution" between 1760 and the French Revolution were:

Accepted Answer

A)  demands for a welfare state. 
B)  demands for universal suffrage. 
C)  demands for liberty and equality. 
D)  demands for confiscation of noble property. 
A)  demands for a welfare state. 
B)  demands for universal suffrage. 
C)  demands for liberty and equality. 
D)  demands for confiscation of noble property.

Question 18

How and why did "public opinion" emerge in the eighteenth century? To whom did the "public" refer?

Accepted Answer

The emergence of "public opinion" in the

Question 19

Edmund Burke, an influential founder of philosophical conservatism, favored:

Accepted Answer

A)  the landowning interest to govern the Parliament. 
B)  annual parliaments like other reformers. 
C)  universal male suffrage. 
D)  the dissolution of rotten boroughs. 
A)  the landowning interest to govern the Parliament. 
B)  annual parliaments like other reformers. 
C)  universal male suffrage. 
D)  the dissolution of rotten boroughs.

Question 20

The eighteenth century, commonly known in European history as the Age of Enlightenment, was marked by:

Accepted Answer

A)  the teachings of Aristotle and Ptolemy, which replaced tyranny and superstition. 
B)  a feeling everywhere in Europe that Europeans had at last emerged from a long cultural twilight. 
C)  the rediscovery of the brilliant reasoning of Thomas Aquinas and the other medieval scholastics. 
D)  a time in which European people knew little about the laws of nature and the value of rational analysis. 
A)  the teachings of Aristotle and Ptolemy, which replaced tyranny and superstition. 
B)  a feeling everywhere in Europe that Europeans had at last emerged from a long cultural twilight. 
C)  the rediscovery of the brilliant reasoning of Thomas Aquinas and the other medieval scholastics. 
D)  a time in which European people knew little about the laws of nature and the value of rational analysis.

Exam 8: The Age of Enlightenment

Which of the following is true of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment?

What was the greatest defect of the pre-1795 Polish state? Using another seventeenth- or eighteenth-century European state as a model, explain how this defect could have been remedied (or explain why it was irremediable).

The outlines of most of the major European states had emerged by 1740. How did the rulers of those political entities pursue the goals of enlightened despotism in the eighteenth century?

The democratic revolutions rejected:

George III sought to increase the influence of the crown and therefore:

For Europeans, the success of the American Revolution was a powerful factor in promoting:

How did the various outlying areas of the British Empire react to policies of centralization? What were the long-term consequences of those reactions?

Compare and contrast the political ideas of two of the following: Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau. Whose ideas do you think were the most influential?

In the context of foreign affairs, which of the following was the supreme plan of Catherine the Great?

Maria Theresa undertook a program of internal consolidation of her empire in which she broke the power of local governments and guild monopolies except in _____.

By the end of the era of enlightened despotism, prior to the French Revolution:

The British countered the American argument that Parliament had no authority to tax them because Americans were not represented by replying that:

All of the following are true of enlightened despotism except:

What were the main ideas of the Physiocrats? Why was the phrase laissez-faire used to describe many of their ideas?

What were the practical motivations behind the attempts of monarchs to pursue the goals of enlightened despotism in the eighteenth century?

In order to watch over the whole structure of his enlightened reform, Joseph II created:

Characteristic of the demands of the age of "Democratic Revolution" between 1760 and the French Revolution were:

How and why did "public opinion" emerge in the eighteenth century? To whom did the "public" refer?

Edmund Burke, an influential founder of philosophical conservatism, favored:

The eighteenth century, commonly known in European history as the Age of Enlightenment, was marked by:

The Rise of Europe

The Upheaval in Western Christendom, 1300-1560

The Atlantic World, Commerce, and Wars of Religion, 1560-1648

The Growing Power of Western Europe, 1640-1715

The Transformation of Eastern Europe, 1648-1740

The Scientific View of the World

The Global Struggle for Wealth and Empire

The French Revolution

Napoleonic Europe

Industries, Ideas, and the Struggle for Reform, 1815-1848

Revolutions and the Reimposition of Order, 1848-1870

The Consolidation of Large Nation-States, 1859-1871

Europes Economic and Political Ascendancy, 1871-1914

European Society and Culture, 1871-1914

Europes Colonial Empires and Global Dominance, 1871-1914

The First World War

The Russian Revolution and the Emergence of the Soviet Union

Democracy, Anti-Imperialism, and the Economic Crisis After the First World War

Democracy and Dictatorship in the 1930s

The Second World War

The Cold War and Reconstruction After the Second World War

Decolonization and the Breakup of the European Empires

Coexistence, Confrontation, and the New European Economy

The International Revolt Against Soviet Communism

Europe and the Changing Modern World

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