Exploring Enlightenment Ideas and Their Role in Revolutions

History
Year 9 / GCSE / Grade 8
8 questions
~16 mins
1 views0 downloads

About This Worksheet

This worksheet examines different interpretations of how Enlightenment ideas contributed to revolutions, encouraging students to compare historian perspectives and evaluate their arguments.

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Exploring Enlightenment Ideas and Their Role in Revolutions

Subject: HistoryGrade: Year 9 / GCSE / Grade 8
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Untitled Worksheet

Grade Year 9 / GCSE / Grade 8
A

Interpretations of Enlightenment Ideas and Their Impact on Revolutions

Historian A: John Doe – Economic Perspective "John Doe argues that Enlightenment ideas primarily influenced revolutions through their impact on economic thought. He emphasizes that the Enlightenment promoted ideas of free trade, individual rights to property, and opposition to absolute monarchy, which challenged existing economic structures. These ideas inspired revolutionary leaders to seek economic independence and reform, leading to upheavals such as the American and French Revolutions. Doe suggests that economic motivations, driven by Enlightenment principles, were central to the revolutionary movements, as they sought to establish economic freedom and challenge aristocratic control."

Historian B: Jane Smith – Social Perspective "Jane Smith contends that Enlightenment ideas mainly influenced revolutions by transforming social attitudes. She highlights that the Enlightenment promoted ideals of equality, popular sovereignty, and the dignity of the individual. These ideas undermined traditional social hierarchies and encouraged people to demand political participation and rights. Smith argues that revolutionary leaders capitalized on these social ideas to mobilize the masses, leading to widespread demands for social change. She believes that the social changes inspired by Enlightenment thought were the primary drivers of revolutionary unrest and transformation."

B

Questions

1.
Summarize each historian's view on how Enlightenment ideas influenced revolutions.
[3 marks]
2.
Compare the reasons why these two historians believe Enlightenment ideas led to revolution.
[4 marks]
3.
Explain why the two historians have different views on the main influence of Enlightenment ideas. Support your answer with reasoning.
[6 marks]
4.
Evaluate which historian's interpretation you find more convincing and explain why.
[8 marks]
5.
Outline how Enlightenment ideas might have influenced both economic and social aspects of revolutions.
[3 marks]
6.
How do these interpretations help us understand the causes of revolutions better?
[4 marks]
7.
Compare how each historian supports their view about the influence of Enlightenment ideas.
[4 marks]
8.
Describe how understanding these different interpretations can help us study revolutions more effectively.
[3 marks]

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Details

Created
1/1/2026
Updated
1/1/2026
Type
worksheet