| A | B |
|---|
| natural law | laws that govern human nature |
| social contract | an agreement by which people give up the state of nature for an organized society |
| natural rights | rights that belong to all humans from birth |
| philosophe | thinkers, "lovers of wisdom" |
| physiocrat | thinkers who focused on economic reform |
| laissez faire | allowing business to operate with little or no government interference |
| censorship | restricting access to ideas and information |
| salons | informal social gatherings at which artists and writers exchange ideas |
| enlightened despots | absolute rulers who used their power to create political or social change |
| baroque | ornate style of art and architecture popular in the 1600s and 1700s |
| rococo | personal, elegant style of art and architecture popular in the mid-1700s |
| constitutional government | government whose power is defined and limited by law |
| cabinet | parliamentary advisors to the king |
| prime minister | leader of the majority party in Parliament and head of the cabinet |
| oligarchy | a government in which the ruling power belongs to a few people |
| popular sovereignty | all government power comes from the people |
| loyalist | American colonists who supported Britain and the king |
| federal republic | a government in which powers are divided between a strong central government and local governments |
