Western History 102

Seventeenth-Century Europe

 During the seventeenth century, England and France underwent divergent political (and economic) evolutions.  While absolutism emerged powerful in France, a constitutional system developed in England; simultaneously mercantilism emerged in France while capitalism expanded in England.  These contrasting trends set the stage for over two centuries of rivalry, usually played out as war, between the two countries and between conservative and liberal political forces throughout the Western world.  Liberals consistently championed the English constitutional system as a model, while conservatives supported the example of the French monarchy (See Jean Domat (1625-1696), On Social Order and Absolute Monarchy, 1697).  Liberals also tended to support a laissez-faire, capitalist economic system as supposedly existed in England.

·         Read chapters 14 and 15 in Coffin/Stacey.

·         According to the textbook, what were some of the important historical developments that shaped European culture in the seventeenth century?

Your paragraph should be about one-half page in length, double-spaced with one-inch margins, font size 10 or 12; it should contain a concise topic sentence (sentence 1) that directly responds to the assigned question (no need to define terms or cite a dictionary), and since you are summarizing in your own words, you do not need quoted or cited material.  Your last sentence should be a conclusion. You may consider sending a draft of your assignment to your instructor for feedback before submitting the assignment for a grade.

·         Write a one-page paper, What was Louis XIV's conception of absolutism?  Please be sure to cite your sources.