Unit III: Revolution and New Ideas
Essential Questions:
What caused a rise in Absolutism?
What was a result of the stability provided by absolutism?
How did Enlightenment ideals cause political revolutions in England, United States, France, and Haiti? How were these political revolutions similar?
We will look at how the shifts from expansion caused insecurity and crises in Europe. From witch hunts to wars of religion, Europe was chaotic. In this unit, we will look at the two ways Europe responded: European rulers with absolutism and European citizens with a turn toward science. From this response we can explore how revolutions lead to the development of new nations.
First, we will learn about the different crisis that Europeans faced and then explore the role of absolutism (what was it, why was it employed, what were the benefits and drawbacks?). Then we will look at how the Age of Exploration helped to spur the Age of Science. As people questioned god and government, they began to question the world they thought that they knew. From these new advances in science and technology helped people to reexamine their role in the world.
This reexamination of role in the world led to the Enlightenment, the Age of Reason. Instead of basing their ideas and beliefs in what came before and tradition, Enlightenment thinkers had the courage to question. And through their questions about society, economy, governance, revolutions erupted. For this unit, you will research different Enlightenment thinkers and how they influenced the revolutions of the time (American and French).