Life changed dramatically for 17th and 18th century Europeans, as a result
             of major social, political, and philosophical transformations. Following
             the Reformation, the authority and dominance of the Catholic Church were
             already being questioned and severely criticized. This in turn contributed
             to a shift away from the Church as the source of political and spiritual
             power toward the King. Endowing Europe's monarch's with supreme authority,
             known as the Divine Right of Kings, led to the trend of Absolutism.
             Absolutism gave the king exactly that: absolute power to control his
             territories and peoples. The rise of the eastern European powers like
             Austria and Prussia were largely a result of Absolutist sentiment
             throughout Europe at the time. Philosophers during this era also ascribed
             to the notion that Absolutism was good for state and countrymen.
             Ironically, Absolutism coincided with Reformation individualism. However,
             Absolutism soon gave rise to Enlightenment thinkers like Locke, Voltaire,
             and Rousseau. The period between 1660 and 1789 saw a new examination of the
             state of affairs in Europe and called into question the Divine Right of
             Kings. The new Enlightenment philosophy focused on democratic ideals and
             even further distanced itself from the Church. Themes of equality and
             religious freedom led eventually to the Revolutions in the New World and in
             France, both of which were based on democracy and the move away from
             monarchy toward republic as a valid and workable form of government. One of
             the major outcomes of the political and philosophical shifts in 17th and
             18th century Europe was the rise of the middle class (Bourgeoisie), which
             came largely as a result of the flowering of capitalism.
             Capitalism as an economic system was not new; rather capitalism as a
             political philosophy grew from this period in European history. Prior to
             the Enlightenment, medieval merchants peddled the...