Enlightenment and Absolutism — impact of ideas and the enlightened despot
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Question
What is 'divine right' of kings?
Answer
The belief that a monarch's authority comes directly from God, not from the people or law.
Question
What is an 'enlightened despot'?
Answer
A monarch who keeps absolute power but claims to rule using reason, tolerance and reform for the public good.
Question
What did Montesquieu propose to limit royal power?
Answer
Separation of powers — dividing government into legislative, executive and judicial branches.
Question
What is Rousseau's 'social contract'?
Answer
The idea that legitimate government exists only with the consent of the people it governs.
Question
What economic idea did Adam Smith promote?
Answer
Laissez-faire — markets function best with minimal state interference.
Question
How did Catherine the Great seize power in 1762?
Answer
She overthrew her husband, Tsar Peter III, in a coup and took the Russian throne.
Question
What was the Legislative Commission (1767) and the Nakaz?
Answer
A convened body guided by Catherine's Nakaz (Instruction), which borrowed Enlightenment language on law — but produced no lasting law code.
Question
What was Pugachev's rebellion (1773–1775)?
Answer
A major peasant uprising against noble/serf conditions in Russia, crushed by Catherine's military force; Pugachev was executed.
Question
What did the 1775 Statute of Provincial Administration do?
Answer
Reorganised and centralized local government across Russia's territories, strengthening state control.
Question
What did the Charter of the Nobility (1785) do?
Answer
Confirmed and expanded noble privileges — enlightened rhetoric alongside a more rigid social hierarchy.
Question
Compare: did the Enlightenment improve women's legal rights?
Answer
It gave women new intellectual arguments and visibility (e.g. Wollstonecraft, salons), but almost no enlightened despot changed women's actual legal status.
Question
What is the core historical debate about Catherine the Great's 'enlightenment'?
Answer
Whether she genuinely absorbed Enlightenment values within political limits, or used them as propaganda while serfdom worsened.
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Topic 13.3 hub
Enlightenment and Absolutism (1600-1800)
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