Module 4: Absolutism and Constitutionalism

During the late 1600s and 1700s, political changes occured throughout Europes. In this module, you will explore the differing types of governments which developed in England, France, Prussia, and Russia during this time period. In particular, you will focus on the absolute monarchies of France and Russia and how the rulers in those countries consolidated power. Then, you will contrast these with the government that developed in England where people protested against the formation of an absolute monarch. This resulted in the declining power of the monarchy and increased power for the Parliament.

Pre-Assessment

Before you learn about the important people and events of Europe and Russia during a time of political upheaval, see how well you can identify several geographic locations. In this non-graded activity, find each of the countries, empires, geographic features, or cities provided on the map and click Submit. Click the player to get started.

Key Vocabulary

To view the definitions for these key vocabulary terms, visit the course glossary.

absolute monarch	Glorious Revolution	Roundheads
Cardinal Richelieu	habeas corpus	Stuarts
Cavaliers	Hapsburg Empire	Tories
Charles I	James II	Tudors
Charles II	limited monarchy	Versailles
constitutional monarchy	Louis XIV	westernization
divine right	Oliver Cromwell	Whigs
English Bill of Rights of 1689	Parliament	William & Mary
English Civil War	Peter the Great
Frederick the Great	Restoration