Free University Project
Western Civilization II
1648 to the Present
Unit 2: Scientific Revolution; Period of Enlightenment
Updated October, 2006

Freeuniv home The scientific view of the world (5-7%)

Bacon, Descartes, and Newton
New knowledge about the individual and society
Political theory

Period of Enlightenment (7-9%)

The Philosphes
Enlightened despotism
Partitions of Poland
The British Reform Movement
Video
From: The Western Tradition
The Enlightened Despots
Monarchs considered reforms in order to create more efficient societies, but not at the expense of their own power. (Broadband Video on Demand) 

The Enlightenment
Intellectual theories about the nature of man and his potential came to the fore. (Broadband Video on Demand) 

The Enlightenment and Society The Western Tradition
Scientists and social reformers battled for universal human rights during a peaceful and prosperous period. (Broadband Video on Demand) 

The Modern Philosophers
Freedom of thought and expression opened new vistas explored by French, English, and American thinkers. (Broadband Video on Demand) 

The American Revolution
The British colonists created a society that tested Enlightenment ideas and resisted restrictions imposed by England. (Broadband Video on Demand) 

The American Republic
A new republic, the compromise of radicals and conservatives, was founded on universal freedoms. (Broadband Video on Demand) 

From: Art of the Western World
An Age of Reason, An Age of Passion
Part I: The playful fantasy and provocative subjects of the Rococo style practiced by Watteau, Fragonard, and Boucher gave way to strict Rationalism, which insisted on morality in art and the purity of classical form, as seen in the works of David. Part II: Striving for individual expression, Romantic painters Goya, Gericault, and Delacroix demonstrated a range of styles and subjects. (Broadband Video on Demand) 

Text

The Scientific Revolution (1550-1700) (Sparknotes)
The Enlightenment (1600-1790) (Sparknotes)

Chapter 2 An Age of Conflicts: Seventeenth Century Europe (1603 - 1713) (Pink Monkey)

      2.0 Introduction
      2.1 The Stuart Dynasty
      2.2 The Thirty Years’ War
      2.3 France and Richelieu
      2.4 The Decline of Spain under Philip II
      2.5 The English Civil War (1642-1649)
      2.6 The Age of Reason and Enlightenment
      2.7 The Anglo-Dutch Wars
      2.8 Peter, the Great
      2.9 The Spanish Succession
      2.10 The Glorious Revolution
      2.11 Points to Remember

Lectures

From The History Guide by Steven Kreis:
Lectures on Modern European Intellectual History
Lecture 8: The New Intellectual Order: Man, Nature and Society
Lecture 9: The Triumph of Science and the Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophe
Lecture 10: The Vision of Human Progress: Vico, Gibbon and Condorcet

Quiz

Take the Sparknotes quiz associated with each unit.
Questions (Pink Monkey)

Library

210 BYRN Byrne, James M. Religion & the Enlightenment from Descartes to Kant
190.082 BERL Berlin, Isaiah The Age of Enlightenment: The 18th Century Philosophers
940.2 PORT Portable Enlightenment Reader
940.2 WILS Wilson, Ellen J. Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment
973.3 BLIV Bruce Bliven, Jr. The American Revolution, 1760-1783
973 VARI The United States at War [sound recording] : all you want to know : The American Revolution.
973.3 LECK Robert Leckie George Washington's War : The saga of the American Revolution
973.3 GRAN R.G. Grant. The American Revolution

Bibliography (Pink Monkey)

Resources

Companion Website: Western Civilization: A Social and Cultural History Combined Brief Edition
Click on syllabus manager (However you do not have to log in.)
Chap. 17. The Age of Reason.
Chap. 18. Town, Court, and Country.
Chap. 19. Inalienable Rights.
Chap. 20. Revolt and Reorganization in Europe.

Enlightenment (Brians)
Periods of History

Important Dates in European History (Pink Monkey)

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