Absolutism to the Fall of Napoleon Review Sheet Page 1

Russia:

Peter the Great and Catherine the Great were both Absolute Monarchs

One similarity between Peter the Great and Catherine the Great was that they both brought Western ideas into Russia

Catherine the Great was not a native-born Russian; she was a German princess that married into the Russian Royal Family

Catherine the Great expanded Russian territory to gain warm-water ports

Catherine the Great is viewed as an Enlightened Despot because she was influenced by the writings of the Enlightenment Thinkers

Absolute and Limited Monarchy:

The theory that was used by Absolute Monarchs where they claimed that their right to rule came directly from God was known as Divine Right

The best example of an Absolute Monarch is King Louis XIV of France

The best example of a country with a Limited Monarchy is England

The document that was signed by King John in 1215 was the Magna Carta; this document limited the power of the English Monarchy

Before the Monarchy in France was abolished during the French Revolution, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the French Constitution of 1791 all limited the power of the French King

A major similarity between Absolute Monarchs and Limited Monarchs was that power was passed from generation to generation within the same family

The Enlightenment:

The thinkers of the Enlightenment are most similar to the thinkers of the Scientific Revolution because both groups asked questions

The thinkers of the Scientific Revolution examined laws governing the natural world, while the thinkers of the Enlightenment examined ideas about power and government

John Locke

  • Believed that all people had natural rights; these rights were: Life, Liberty and Property
  • Believed that the power of a government came from the consent of the governed
  • Believed that when a government did not protect the peoples’ natural rights, the people had a right to change the government

Voltaire

  • Most well known for defending freedom of speech, with his quote “I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”

Montesquieu

  • Created the idea of separation of powers
  • Believed that by having three branches of government, that one branch could not become too powerful

Causes and Effects of the French Revolution:

One way that the American Revolution of 1776 influenced the French was that it showed that people could gain freedom and liberty from a Monarch

The Estates in pre-Revolutionary France is an example of a social class system

  • The First Estate was comprised of the Catholic Clergy
  • The Second Estate was comprised of the Nobility
  • The Third Estate was comprised of the bourgeoisie (Middle Class), the artisans, and the peasants

One of the major problems with the French Estates System was that the tax system was unequal because the members of the Third Estate paid nearly one-hundred percent of the taxes

The French Revolution was led by members of the Third Estate, who were influenced by the writings of the Enlightenment Thinkers

The leader of the Reign of Terror was Maximilien Robespierre

The Reign of Terror is viewed as the Radical Stage of the French Revolution

The primary goal during the Reign of Terror was to eliminate anyone that was against the Revolution

One of the primary effects of the French Revolution was that the bourgeoisie gained power, because they led it

Napoleon in Power:

After many years of fighting within France, the people turned to Napoleon Bonaparte, because he offered the people of France order and stability

Napoleon was influenced by the writings of the thinkers of the Enlightenment, which is also known as the Age of Reason

One of Napoleon’s major achievements was the creation of the Napoleonic Code, which was a system of laws that was based on Enlightenment ideas

  • One of the major principles of this system was that citizens had equality before the law

Nationalism is pride in and devotion to your nation; it has the power to encourage people of fight for their independence

One of the long-term effects of Napoleon’s Empire on Europe was that many Nationalist Movements emerged

The primary reason that Napoleon’s invasion of Russia was a failure was because of Russia’s harsh climate

  1. The European concept of divine right of kings is based on
  2. the principle of democratic election of rulers.
  3. the idea that political power comes from God.
  4. a constitution that defines individual rights.
  5. the division of power between the nobility and the king.
  1. The reign of France's Louis XIV was marked by
  1. Spanish domination of Europe.
  2. the limiting of the monarch's power.
  3. the full flowering of absolute monarchy.
  4. a decline in spending on royal buildings.

Base your answer to question 3 on the quote below and on your knowledge of social studies.

"Religious persecution is a bad policy in the long run, because it robs a nation of talented citizens."

  1. This quote would most likely have been attributed to
  1. Elizabeth I in England.
  2. Bloody Mary in England.
  3. Louis XIV in France.
  4. Catherine the Great in Russia.
  1. The writers and philosophers of the Enlightenment believed that government decisions should be based on
  1. the concept of divine right of kings.
  2. laws of nature and reason.
  3. traditional values.
  4. fundamental religious beliefs.
  1. The period in the 18th century when people demanded individual rights from the government was known as the
  1. Renaissance.
  2. Reformation.
  3. Enlightenment.
  4. Scientific Revolution.
  1. The divine right theory believed in by several European monarchs is most similar to the concept of
  1. Mandate of Heaven in imperial China.
  2. humanism during the Enlightenment.
  3. civil disobedience promoted by Gandhi.
  4. the White Man’s Burden.
  1. Which of the following sequence of events is in the correct order?
  1. Reign of Louis XIV-Napoleon Defeated-French Revolution-American Revolution
  2. Reign of Louis XIV-American Revolution-French Revolution-Napoleon Defeated
  3. American Revolution-French Revolution-Napoleon Defeated-Reign of Louis XIV
  4. French Revolution-Reign of Louis XIV-American Revolution-Napoleon Defeated
  1. The United States Government system of Checks and Balances, which separates the government’s power into three branches, is aligned most closely with which of the following Enlightenment writers?
  1. Montesquieu
  2. Locke
  3. Rousseau
  4. Voltaire

Base your answers to questions 9 and 10 on the quote below and on your knowledge of social studies.

“The royal power is absolute…Without this absolute authority the king could neither do good nor repress evil. It is necessary that his power be such that no one can escape him.”

  1. Which person would most likely have agreed with this statement?
  1. Jean Jacques Rousseau
  2. Louis XIV
  3. Karl Marx
  4. John Locke
  1. Which event was based on ideas that are in direct contrast to the ideas expressed in this statement?
  1. Signing of the Magna Carta in England.
  2. Forced collectivization in Russia.
  3. Peter the Great’s program of Westernization.
  4. The beginning of Pax Romana.
  1. A major concept promoted by philosophers of the Enlightenment was the need for
  1. a return to traditional medieval ideas.
  2. the use of reason for rational and logical thinking.
  3. overseas expansion by western European nations.
  4. strengthening the power of the organized religion.