Age of Enlightenment: Key Figures and Ideas

Age of Enlightenment

• Promoted reason, individualism, and democracy, challenging traditional authority and feudalism
• Key figures: René Descartes, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, and Adam Smith
• Contributed to modern concepts of individual rights and freedoms, influencing political revolutions

Salons and Coffeehouses

• Fostered intellectual exchange, debate, and critiques of authority during the Enlightenment
• Provided a platform for intellectuals to share and discuss new ideas

French Revolution

Causes and Background

• Primary factors: social inequality, economic crisis, and the Estates-General system
• Estate-General's role: represented the Third Estate, seeking reform and representation

Key Events

• Storming of the Bastille: a pivotal moment, symbolizing the end of absolute monarchy
• Reign of Terror: a period of violence and executions during Robespierre's leadership
• Execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette: symbolizing the end of the monarchy
• Abolition of the Estate system: brought significant social and political changes

Factions and Leaders

• Jacobins, Girondins, and sans-culottes: played significant roles in the Revolution
• Key leaders: Maximilien Robespierre, Georges Danton, and Paul Barras

Governments and Long-term Effects

• Four different governments rose and fell during the Revolution
• Long-term effects: impacted political ideologies, nationalism, and international relations
• Significance: a turning point in world history, influencing subsequent revolutions and movements

Napoleonic Era

Reforms and Rise to Power

• Domestic reforms: centralized administration, secularized education, and reorganized France into departments
• Napoleonic Code: reshaped French law and society
• Path to power: coup d'état, becoming Emperor of the French

Military Campaigns and Conquests

• Invasion of Russia: failed campaign, leading to significant consequences
• Continental System: impacted European trade and economies
• Military campaigns and conquests: reshaped the map of Europe and international relations

Downfall and Exile

• Reasons for downfall: military defeats, economic hardship, and coalition opposition
• Exile to Elba and subsequent return to power during the Hundred Days
• Final defeat and exile: Battle of Waterloo
• Congress of Vienna: restored stability and order to Europe after the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars

Haitian and South American Revolutions

Haitian Revolution

• Social, economic, and political factors: slavery, colonialism, and racial inequality
• Toussaint L'Ouverture's role: led the Haitian Revolution, fighting for independence and abolition of slavery
• Impact: ended slavery in Haiti, inspired abolitionist movements, and reshaped the Caribbean and Atlantic world

South American Revolutions

• Causes: social and economic discontent, Peninsulare system, and external factors (Napoleonic Wars and European politics)
• Key leaders: Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín
• Contributions: led to independence from Spanish colonial rule, shaping the modern nation-states of South America