Enlightenment Thinkers and Historical Figures

Adam Smith

• Believed that a free market should regulate businesses, not the government. This is the foundation of capitalism.

• Advocated for government control over all businesses to ensure fairness.

• Promoted the idea of socialism as a means to achieve economic equality.

• Argued that monopolies are essential for economic growth.

Mary Wollstonecraft

• Women are inferior to men and should not have rights.

• Women are not inferior to men, they are just less educated.

• Women should only focus on domestic duties and not pursue education.

• Women have no natural rights and should be dependent on men.

John Locke

• People are naturally good and have natural rights to life, liberty, and property.

• People are inherently selfish and must be controlled by government.

• Human beings are born as blank slates and shaped by society.

• All individuals are born with equal wealth and resources.

Thomas Hobbes

• People are naturally altruistic and kind. They need minimal government intervention.

• People are naturally selfish and cruel. They need a strong government to maintain order.

• People are inherently peaceful and cooperative. They thrive in anarchy.

• People are naturally rational and just. They require a democratic government to function.

Voltaire

• He believed in freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

• He advocated for absolute monarchy.

• He promoted the idea of a theocracy.

• He was against the separation of church and state.

Baron de Montesquieu

• Governments should be divided into branches. There should be a separation of powers so no branch becomes too strong.

• All governments should be centralized to ensure efficiency.

• The power of the government should be unlimited to promote freedom.

• Governments should operate without any checks and balances.

Philip II

• Catholic monarch of Spain who increased Spanish power by getting silver from the Spanish colonies.

• Protestant leader who opposed the Spanish Inquisition.

• French king known for his role in the Hundred Years' War.

• English monarch who established the Church of England.

Louis XIV

• Known as the 'Sun King,' he turned Versailles into a palace and he brought the nobility under control.

• He was a famous painter of the Renaissance period.

• He was the first President of the United States.

• He led the French Revolution in the 18th century.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Believed in a social contract and supported a popularly elected government.

• Advocated for absolute monarchy and divine right.

• Promoted laissez-faire economics and minimal government intervention.

• Supported a theocratic government and religious rule.

Denis Diderot

• Created the Encyclopedia.

• Wrote 'The Social Contract'.

• Developed the theory of evolution.

• Invented the printing press.