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Montesquieu
French political philosopher who advocated the separation of executive and legislative and judicial powers -
Voltaire
a French Enlightenment writer, essayist, and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion and free trade. -
Great Northern War
a coalition of numerous states successfully contested Swedish supremacy in northern Central and Eastern Europe. -
Period: to
18th century
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War of Spanish Succession
fought among several European powers over a possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. -
Acts of Union
The Acts joined the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland (previously separate states, with separate legislatures but with the same monarch) into a single, united kingdom named "Great Britain". -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
French philosopher and writer born in Switzerland; believed that the natural goodness of man was warped by society -
Marine Chronometer
a clock which is precise enough to be used as a portable time standard; it can therefore be used to determine longitude by means of celestial navigation. First working model invented by John Harrison -
War of polish Succession
a major European war sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II, King of Poland that widened as France and Spain, the two Bourbon powers, attempted to check the power of the Austrian Habsburgs in western Europe. -
Cesare Beccaria
an Italian philosopher and politician best known for his treatise On Crimes and Punishments (1764) -
Diderot and D' Alembert Encyclopedia
a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772 -
Seven years War
a major military conflict that lasted from 1756 until the conclusion of the treaties of Hubertusburg and Paris in 1763. It involved all of the major European powers of the period. -
Mary Wollstonecraft
English writer and early feminist who denied male supremacy and advocated equal education for women -
American Revolution
A political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America. -
Industrial Revolution
a period where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transport, and technology had a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions throughout the world -
French Revolution
was a period of radical social and political upheaval in French and European history. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years.
