Deck 8: The Age of Enlightenment

Question 1

The Enlightenment of the eighteenth century referred to

A) the thought of Aristotle and Ptolemy, preserved by the Middle Ages, and at last allowed to shine forth.
B) the belief that Europe had emerged from a time of barbarism and darkness.
C) the rediscovery of the brilliant reasoning of Thomas Aquinas and the other medieval Scholastics.
D) all of the choices are correct.

Answer 1

the belief that Europe had emerged from a time of barbarism and darkness.

Question 2

The eighteenth-century Enlightenment embodied all of the following except

A) the ideas of Locke and Newton.
B) the philosophy of natural law and natural right.
C) skepticism about the regularity and harmony of nature.
D) belief in the idea of progress.

Answer 2

skepticism about the regularity and harmony of nature.

Question 3

During the eighteenth century, "enlightened" people typically imagined God as

A) a Divine Being suffering upon the Cross.
B) a force that dwells within us.
C) an inconceivably intelligent Watchmaker.
D) a powerful Father to us all.

Answer 3

an inconceivably intelligent Watchmaker.

Question 4

The great French Encyclopédie, completed between 1751 and 1772,

A) was the first encyclopedia ever written.
B) was conceived of as a positive force for social progress.
C) attempted to be completely objective.
D )concentrated on the great theoretical breakthroughs of the seventeenth-century scientific and intellectual revolution, and omitted discussions of technological and other practical achievements.

Question 5

Voltaire was less concerned than Montesquieu with

A) the Middle Ages.
B) mixed constitutions and intermediate powers.
C) political liberties.
D) religious toleration.

Question 6

Voltaire's famous polemical slogan, "É crasez l'infâ me!" or "Crush the infamous things," referred _to

A) royal despotism.
B) political radicalism.
C) bad taste.
D) religious bigotry and superstition.

Question 7

All of the following characterize Enlightenment thought except

A) ideas were usually expressed in the French language.
B) ideas were completely secular.
C) toleration was promoted.
D) true progress could only be achieved by the people themselves, without the assistance of the state.

Question 8

Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations argued for

A) economic planning by an enlightened government.
B) the reduction of barriers that hindered economic growth.
C) the program of mercantilism that had made Britain wealthy.
D) governmental encouragement of innovation and enterprise.

Question 9

Before 1789, the largest free-trade area on the continent was in

A) France.
B) Spain.
C) Prussia.
D) the Habsburg Empire.

Question 10

Frederick the Great did all of the following except

A) abolish serfdom throughout his kingdom.
B) make all important political decisions himself.
C) decree that all children receive elementary education.
D) allow greater religious freedom.

Question 11

In Russia, all of the following occurred as a result of the Enlightenment except

A) several Russian thinkers became influential throughout Europe.
B) the Russian upper classes adopted French as their language.
C) the Russian upper classes became more estranged from their own people.
D) the Empress Catherine called a great but fruitless consultative assembly to reform the country.

Question 12

The democratic revolutions rejected

A) everything associated with absolutism or feudalism.
B) the separation between religion and civil rights.
C) secularism.
D) monarchy.

Question 13

In the eighteenth century, the aspect of British politics which provoked the most public criticism _was

A) the failure to curb royal despotism, as with George III.
B) the dishonesty and corruption of the prime minister.
C) the grossly inequitable system of representation to the Parliament.
D) the corruption and bribery prevalent in the courts.

Question 14

Edmund Burke, who virtually founded modern philosophical conservatism, favored

A) government by landowners.
B) annual parliaments.
C) universal male suffrage.
D) the elimination of rotten boroughs.

Question 15

In what sense was the eighteenth century an age of faith as well as an age of reason?

Question 16

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

Question 17

Compare and contrast Joseph II and Frederick the Great as enlightened despots.

Question 18

Was Catherine the Great an enlightened despot? Explain your answer.

Question 19

In what sense is the period after 1760 rightly characterized as the era of "democratic" or "Atlantic" revolutions? What are the difficulties in analyzing the era on such a basis rather than on a national one (e.g., "the American Revolution")?

Question 20

Discuss the impact of the wars of the mid-eighteenth century on the internal governmental policies of France and the Habsburg Empire. Which country found the better solution for its problems?

Question 21

What was the role of women in spreading the ideas of the Enlightenment?

Question 22

Discuss the response of Great Britain to the ideas of the Enlightenment.

Question 23

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

Question 24

Select what you believe are two of the central ideas or attitudes of the eighteenth century Enlightenment. Explain why you believe these ideas are so important and what impact they had on social and political life in the eighteenth century.

Question 25

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).

Question 26

How did religious movements like Pietism and Methodism illustrate the divide between popular and elite cultures?

Question 27

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

Question 28

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

Question 29

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

Question 30

How did the American Revolution become another international struggle for power?

Question 31

On the heels of the American Revolution, what gains had been made in terms of democracy? What were the limitation of the revolution's promise of liberty and equality?

Question 32

In what ways did the establishment of the new United States vindicate Enlightenment ideals?

Question 33

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?

Question 34

How did the ethnic composition of Poland present an obstacle to reform efforts and the establishment of an effective Polish movement?