 The time period in history when reason was used to understand and improve society  The Enlightenment is often called the “Age of Reason”

 Philosophers believed that society could be improved by using reason and natural law › Universal rules that are always true

 Philosophers believed that governments received their authority from the people › NOT from God  Philosophers believed in democracy › A government where the people have a say

 John Locke › Believed that all people have all people have natural rights  Life, liberty, and property  Can overthrow the government if it fails to protect those rights  Voltaire › He believed that everyone is entitled to freedom of speech and freedom of religion

 Baron de Montesquieu › Believed the gov’t should be separated into three branches (executive, legislative, judicial) › Separation of powers and a system of checks and balances  Rousseau › Believed that society is a social contract  An agreement in which all people agree to work for the common good of society

 Helped cause political revolutions in France, Latin America, and the United States › BECAUSE… enlightenment philosophers believed that people can overthrow unfair governments  Enlightened Despots › European kings and queens who believed in enlightenment ideas and ruled using those principles

Industrial Revolution

 The industrial Revolution was the change from producing goods by hand to producing goods with machines in factories › Factories- place in which workers and machines are brought together to produce large quantities of goods

 The industrial revolution started in Great Britain (England) because it had many natural resources that are necessary to produce and transport goods. › Coal, iron, tin, lead, waterways  Great Britain had favorable geography

 Industrialization- machines used to produce goods in factories  Urbanization- growth of cities. People can to city (urban) areas to get jobs in factories › Many cities had severe pollution from the smoke that came out of factories

 Bad working conditions- worked in dangerous conditions for long hours and low pay › Young children were frequently hired and abused in these factories

 Formation of labor unions- workers gathered together to fight for better wages and working conditions  Legislation- governments eventually passed laws to set minimum wage and end child labor

 Laissez Fair Capitalism › This was the economic system that was used during the IR (and still used in the world today).

 Laissez Fair is based on the ideas: › Businesses and factories should be owned by individuals (NOT the government) › Business decisions should be made by individuals (the government should NOT interfere) › Prices should be set by individuals (NOT the government)  Supply and demand

 Both believed that laissez faire was bad  Argued that it allowed greedy factory owners to exploit poor factory workers › Wrote “Communist Manifesto”

 Always been about class struggles › Haves vs. Have-Nots  Wealthy and greedy (Bourgeoisie) took advantage of the poor factory workers (Proletariat) to earn money  Proletariat should rise up and overthrow the Bourgeoisie › Violently › Create a new society with no social classes

 The ideas of Marx and Engels eventually became the foundation of Communism  Countries that became communist were inspired by the writings of Marx and Engels