AP European History AMSCO Guided Notes
4.6: Enlightened and Other Approaches to Power
AMSCO Guided Notes
AP European History Guided Notes
AMSCO 4.6 - Enlightened and Other Approaches to Power
Essential Questions
- How were political power and religious toleration influenced by Enlightenment thought from 1648 to 1815?
A. Challenges to Absolutism
1. What is absolutism and what justification did monarchs use to claim absolute power?
2. How did Enlightenment philosophers challenge the concept of divine right?
1. New Ideas
1. What is the social contract and how did Enlightenment thinkers use it to limit monarchical power?
2. What natural rights did Enlightenment philosophers believe all humans possessed?
3. How did John Locke's ideas influence revolutionary movements like the Glorious Revolution and American independence?
B. Enlightened Absolutism
1. What is enlightened absolutism and how did enlightened monarchs balance Enlightenment ideals with maintaining their own power?
2. Why were most philosophes not opposed to enlightened absolutism as a form of government?
1. Enlightened Rulers
1. How did Britain and France respond differently to Enlightenment thinkers compared to Russia, Prussia, and Austria?
2. What common reforms did enlightened despots pursue and why did they target the church and aristocracy?
C. 18th-Century Monarchs
1. Prussia Gains Power
1. How did Frederick William I strengthen Prussia militarily, and why is he not considered a true enlightened monarch?
2. What reforms did Frederick II implement to strengthen Prussia's economy and government?
3. How did Frederick II's statement 'I am the first servant of the state' reflect a shift from Louis XIV's absolutism?
4. What limitations did Frederick II's personal governing style place on his administration despite his reforms?
2. Reforms in Austria
1. What reforms did Maria Theresa implement and why was she not considered a truly enlightened monarch?
2. What major reforms did Joseph II pursue after becoming sole ruler in 1780?
3. Why did Joseph II's rapid reforms face opposition and what was the outcome of his reign?
4. How did Joseph II's reforms, despite his perceived failure, influence the future of Europe?
D. A New Toleration
1. How did John Locke's ideas about natural rights and separation of church and state promote religious tolerance?
2. What factors beyond Enlightenment thought contributed to the growth of religious tolerance in the 18th century?
1. Religious Toleration Policies
1. What specific policies did England, France, Prussia, and Austria implement to promote religious tolerance?
2. How did the French Revolution advance religious freedom beyond what enlightened monarchs had achieved?
3. What limitations remained on Jewish rights and religious freedom in Europe by 1815?
E. Challenging the March of Progress
1. What was the 'Whig Interpretation' of history and how did it distort historians' understanding of religious toleration?
2. According to Cary Nederman, why was religious toleration a result of political necessity rather than moral progress?
3. How did Mark Koyama explain the rise of religious toleration as a practical response to changes in political structures?
Key Terms
absolutism
enlightened monarchs
enlightened absolutism
Frederick William I
Frederick II
Peace of Westphalia
Maria Theresa
Joseph II
Edict of Toleration
religious tolerance