Deck 1

Question 1

What is the definition of absolutism?

Answer 1

A system of rule in which a monarch or other ruler enjoys unlimited power.

Absolutism often involves centralized control and the absence of checks and balances.

Question 2

How did the Protestant Reformation contribute to the power of monarchs?

Answer 2

It diminished the power and authority of the church, giving more power to monarchs.

This shift allowed monarchs to consolidate their control over religious and political matters.

Question 3

What are the four challenges that absolute monarchs faced?

Answer 3

• Other powerful monarchs
• Enlightenment ideas
• Religions
• Challenges from science and education

These challenges often questioned the legitimacy of absolute rule.

Question 4

What was the Enlightenment? Prior to the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, how did scientists and philosophers view science.

Answer 4

An intellectual movement of the 18th century that applied scientific methods to the study of society and governance; They based things off religious viewpoints and then later works of Ancient Greek and Latin Philosophers

Prior to this period, scientists and philosophers often held pre-liberal viewpoints.

Question 5

Define social contract theory.

Answer 5

The concept in which an individual agrees to form a community.

This theory often involves the exchange of individual freedoms for societal benefits.

Question 6

What are natural rights?

Answer 6

The rights that all people have to life, liberty, and property.

These rights are often viewed as fundamental and inalienable.

Question 7

What is the policy of minimal governmental interference in economic affairs called?

Answer 7

Laissez-faire.

This policy advocates for minimal state intervention in the economy.

Question 8

What are the three branches of government in the separation of powers?

Answer 8

• Legislative
• Executive
• Judicial

This model is designed to prevent the concentration of power in one entity.

Question 9

Why is the Enlightenment responsible for the decline of absolutism in Europe?

Answer 9

It challenged traditional justifications for absolute monarchy and promoted alternative political models.

Enlightenment thinkers advocated for reason, individual rights, and democratic governance.