4B

Enlightenment Old way of thinking: Monarchs can do whatever they wanted (divine right) New way of thinking: A government’s power comes from the people

The king can do anything he wants. God wants him to be king. Old Way of Thinking New Way of Thinking The king can do anything he wants. God wants him to be king. The king better treat the people well and act in their best interest, or they will overthrow him.

Because thinkers of the Enlightenment (such as Rousseau, Voltaire, Montesquieu, etc.) believed power of the government came from the people, they argued for more rights for the people.

They inspired political reform (religious tolerance, life, liberty, property, equality, etc.) for all. The Enlightenment also led to revolutions in many countries.

If leaders did not change how they ruled (treat the people better, more rights, more freedom, more respect), the people were urged to overthrow the government and start a new one.

The thinking from the Enlightenment has inspired many new governments around the world, including ours.

The Reformation In Medieval Europe, the Church was the biggest and most powerful institution. However, many people had problems with the Church. They thought it was too corrupt and too concerned with worldly goods.

They sold indulgences (forgivenesses/ticket to Heaven) Money used to finance buying luxurious goods Church officials were “shady” Bibles only printed in Latin (only priests could read them)

Leaders like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Henry the VIII sought to change that. They all were leaders in reforming the Church.

Luther and Calvin may have had more problems with religious corruption (selling indulgences, etc.), but Henry VIII had political reasons. He wanted to divorce his wife (she did not give him a son), so he broke away from the Pope and the Church.

As a result of the Reformation, monarchies (kings) became more powerful. The Church had lost a lot of power over the people.