Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment

… Nor is there liberty if the power of judging is not separate from legislative power and from executive power. If it were joined to legislative power, the power over the life and liberty of the citizens would be arbitrary, for the judge would be the legislator. If it were joined to executive power, the judge could have the force of an oppressor.…

—Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Law

In this passage, Montesquieu references

• Enlightened despotism

• a policy of mercantilism

• separation of powers

• a social contract

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The ideas expressed in the quotation are based primarily on the writings of

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• John Locke

• Voltaire

• Baron de Montesquieu

“When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates [government officials], there can be no liberty; because apprehensions [fears] may arise, lest the same monarch or senate should enact tyrannical laws to execute them in a tyrannical manner…”

-Baron de Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws

Which solution would Baron de Montesquieu offer to avoid the enactment of tyrannical laws?

• Granting freedom of speech

• Reinstating absolute monarchs

• Separating the three branches of government

• Limiting natural laws

“The rule of law is more powerful than the rule of the tyrant.”

-Simon Bolivar

“Whoever has the … supreme power… is bound to govern by established standing laws.”

-John Locke

What is the main idea expressed in these quotations?

• Rulers should govern with unlimited power

• All governments should be democratic

• Rulers must be subject to the law

• Governments should be based on the laws of God

“...the Laws ought to be so framed, as to secure the Safety of every citizen as much as possible.

...the Equality of the Citizens consists in this; that they should all be subject to the same Laws…”

-Documents of Catherine the Great, W.F. Reddaway, ed., Cambridge University Press (adapted)

The ideas of Catherine the Great of Russia show her role as a

• absolute monarch

• enlightened despot

• dictor

• divine right monarch

Which step did Catherine the Great take that is consistent with Enlightenment ideas?

• ordering the burning of books
• strengthening the institution of serfdom
• expanding Russian territory into Ukraine
• considering a law code that would treat all citizens equally

One way in which the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment are similar is that both

• led to increased power for royal families in Europe
• sought to reconcile Christian beliefs and science
• questioned traditional values and past practices
• promoted nationalistic revolutions in eastern Europe

Why is the Enlightenment considered a turning point in world history?

• The factory system was used to mass-produce goods.
• Martin Luther broke away from the Roman Catholic Church.
• Europeans changed their thinking about the role of government.
• The Columbian exchange occurred.

Baron de Montesquieu believed that a separation of powers would

• prevent tyranny by acting as a check on power
•  restore authority to the Roman Catholic Church
• increase corruption of political authority
• decrease the power of the middle class

Which statement represents a key idea directly associated with John Locke's Two Treatises of Government?

• Freedom of speech should be denied.
• The king's power on Earth comes from God.
• All people are born with the right to life, liberty, and property.
• Individuals acting in their own self-interest will achieve economic success.