The Enlightenment and the Age of Revolution
I can describe the Enlightenment and the influence it had on the world.
The Enlightenment and the Age of Revolution
I can describe the Enlightenment and the influence it had on the world.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- 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.
Common misconception
The Enlightenment did not just cause the American Revolution, it played a major role in the causation of the French and Haitian Revolutions too.
Keywords
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
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
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