Notebook page 2: Enlightened Absolutism

Match

First a review from previous lesson. Match the following philosophers with their ideas.

• Rousseau

• John Locke

• Montesquieu

• Voltaire

• Wollstoncraft

The Social Contract

Natural Rights

Separation of governmental powers.

Religious Toleration

Equal Education for men and women

• The Social Contract

• Natural Rights

• Separation of governmental powers.

• Religious Toleration

• Equal Education for men and women

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best captures the contradiction at the heart of Enlightened Absolutism?

• Monarchs gave up power to elected assemblies.

• Monarchs rejected Enlightenment thought entirely.

• Monarchs tried to blend Enlightenment ideals with absolute power.

• Monarchs ruled through popular consent only.

Multiple Choice

Which monarch is associated with the phrase "L'État, c'est moi" and what does it signify about his rule?

• Louis XIV, signifying absolute monarchy

• Frederick the Great, signifying enlightened rule

• Catherine the Great, signifying expansionism

• Joseph II, signifying religious tolerance

Multiple Choice

What was Frederick the Great’s statement “I am the first servant of the state” meant to express?

• Monarchs should be chosen by the people.

• The monarch existed to serve the people’s welfare.

• The state existed to glorify the monarch.

• Religion was superior to politics.

Multiple Select

Which of the following reforms did Frederick the Great implement in Prussia? Select all that apply.

• Abolished torture as a means of punishment

• Expanded serfdom

• Promoted religious toleration

• Centralized power among nobles

Multiple Choice

Why was Catherine the Great’s rule considered partly enlightened but ultimately contradictory?

• She abolished serfdom but censored Enlightenment writings.

• She gave power to nobles but limited education.

• She banned religion but promoted slavery.

• She encouraged women’s education but reinforced serfdom.

Multiple Choice

What was the outcome of the Pugachev Rebellion for Russian serfs under Catherine the Great?

• Serfdom was abolished

• Oppression of serfs increased

• Serfs gained more freedom

• Catherine was overthrown

Multiple Choice

Joseph II’s Edict of Toleration was significant because it—

• United Austria and Prussia under one ruler.

• Reduced the power of nobles in Hungary.

• Ended serfdom permanently in the Habsburg Empire.

• Granted religious freedoms to Jews and limited Church influence.

Multiple Choice

Why did Joseph II’s attempts at reform ultimately fail?

• His empire was destroyed by foreign invasion.

• He lacked support from Frederick and Catherine.

• The Church and nobility resisted his centralizing efforts.

• His mother opposed Enlightenment ideas.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements best reflects the Haskalah movement?

• It emphasized the compatibility between Jewish faith and Enlightenment reason.

• It was a rejection of Enlightenment thought by Jewish scholars.

• It promoted absolutism as the ideal form of Jewish government.

• It sought to strengthen Church influence in politics.

Multiple Choice

How did the Haskalah movement challenge the anti-Jewish policies in Europe, and what were the differing responses of rulers such as Joseph II, Catherine, and Frederick?

• By promoting Jewish assimilation and education, with all rulers supporting these reforms

• By advocating for Jewish separation from European society, with all rulers opposing these reforms

• By claiming anti-Jewish policies were inconsistent with Enlightenment thinking, with Joseph II supporting Jewish toleration but Catherine and Frederick rejecting it

• By encouraging Jewish migration out of Europe, with Joseph II, Catherine, and Frederick all supporting this move

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes how Enlightenment ideals influenced the arts during this period?

• Religious themes disappeared entirely from music.

• Baroque music emphasized simplicity over complexity.

• Classical composers like Mozart and Haydn reflected Enlightenment balance and order.

• Music was banned under most Enlightened Monarchs.

Multiple Choice

How did Enlightened Absolutism attempt to balance absolute monarch power with Enlightenment ideals?

• By abolishing monarchy and establishing democracy

• By sharing power equally among all citizens

• By maintaining monarch power but adopting Enlightenment reforms

• By creating a parliament to limit monarch authority