Study Guides

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn about the Enlightenment and its impact on America, France, and the Atlantic World. They develop knowledge of the Enlightenment's background and ideas and consider its links to the 'Age of Revolution'.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to describe the Enlightenment and the influence it had on the world.

Key Notes

• The Enlightenment was a series of ideas that criticised absolutist governments.
• The Enlightenment inspired groups of people to challenge their governments.
• The American Revolution was inspired by Enlightened ideas.
• The French Revolution was inspired by the Americans and Enlightenment ideas.
• The Enlightenment ideas inspired further revolutions across the world.

Vocabulary To Learn

• Enlightenment: the Enlightenment was a movement in the 1600s and 1700s that promoted the use of reason and questioned authority
• social contract: a social contract is an agreement that rulers should govern in a way that benefits the people in exchange for having power over them
• revolution: a revolution is the forcible overthrow of a government, a great or complete change
• settlers: settlers are people who have arrived to live in a new area of land
• Ancien Régime: the Ancien Régime was the name for the political and social system in France before the Revolution, ruled by the monarch: King Louis XVI

Common Mistakes To Avoid

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3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Enlightenment ideas and the causes of the French Revolution Study Guide
• Enlightenment ideas: science and politics Study Guide
• The American Revolution and Enlightenment ideas Study Guide
• The background to the Enlightenment Study Guide
• The impact of the French Revolution in the Atlantic world Study Guide