The Enlightenment: Crash Course European History #18

So far in this series, we’ve covered a lot of war, disease, climate disaster, and some more war. Well, prepare yourself for something a little more positive. This week, we’re talking about the Enlightenment. In this video, you’ll learn about the ideas of Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Kant, Smith, Hume, and a bunch of other people whose ideas have been so impactful, they still influence the way we think about the world today. Sources Hunt, Lynn et al. Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures. Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2019. Smith, Bonnie G. et al. World in the Making: A History. Vol. 2. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019. Crash Course is on Patreon! You can support us directly by signing up at Thanks to the following patrons for their generous monthly contributions that help keep Crash Course free for everyone forever: Eric Prestemon, Sam Buck, Mark Brouwer, Indika Siriwardena, Avi Yashchin, Timothy J Kwis