Voltaire

Voltaire was a french philospher and writer that discussed civil rights and people's freedoms. He wrote books and poems about his topic and believed everyone should have certain rights granteds to them. Spain didn't really give their people many civil rights and freedoms so he disagreed with its government and how th ecountry ran.

Copernicus's view of these countries

Copernicus discovered the heliocentric theory, which says that the sun is the center of the universe, and that the earth orbits around it. He didn't really have strong political likes or dislikes, and from the research I've done, it doesn't seem like he had any real grudges or problems with any country. So, I think that he would have viewed Spain, Italy, and Portugal as he would his own country, with respect. He would not really critique their ways or look down on them with discorn.

Adam Smith and Spain

Adam Smith was a Scottish enlightened thinker who strongly advocated a strong free market, capitalism, and libertarianism. Opposingly, Spain at the time had virtually no middle class, and consisted largely upon the taxation of the peasants in order for the aristocracy to spend lavishly on unnecessary expenditures. Smith's philosophy would have not only been rejected by Spain, but it simply would not have worked in their economic situation. The application of his ideas involved a middle class to which the free market system could flourish. However, there were virtually no merchants or other middle class to provide such an oppotunity. Moreover, it is highly unlikely that the aristocracy would yeild some of its power in order to support libertarian ideas. Thus, Adam Smith's philosophy would have failed in Spain.

"Every tax ought to be so contrived as both to take out and to keep out of the pockets of the people as little as possible, over and above what it brings into the treasury of the state. "

Italy During the Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution

During the Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution, many Italians emerged as forward thinkers, including Vico, Beccaria, Verri, Carli, Parini, Goldonoi, Alfieri, Baretti, and Galileo. These enlightened thinkers paved the way for such things as verum factum, denouncement of the death penalty, and opposition of the Church.
In Italy, the Enlightenment was known as Illuminismo. However at its start, Italy was in a state of oppressed learning as the Church controlled much of Italians' ways of life. Students were taught to memorize rather than to think for themselves. Yet the Enlightenment brought with it a change in those ideas and a return to the Renaissance's humanism.
Moreover, during the Scientific Revolution, Italy was home to many medical schools established by Versalius in order to further his research in anatomy, hence the root of many anatomical names. Furthermore, Galileo was a key figure in the field of astonomy, particularly in perfecting the telescope and opposing the Church's limited views.

John Locke

John Locke believed that the mind was a "blank slate", meaning that people are born without innate ideas; people make up their decisions by themselves. He also believed that all people were equal and independent; people had a right to protect their life, liberty, and property. Locke was the origin for modern conceptions of identity.

John Locke would not like Italy so much because Italian's want all of their people to be one religion. If someone were to speak against the church, much like Martin Luther, he/she would be exiled. Locke would feel that this is unfair because he thinks that people have a right to feel the way they do, and pick the religion that they want to practice. The same goes for Spain. Spain also dealt with religious difficulties within the country, and Locke again believes that people should be able to pick their own religion without so much persuasion. I don't think that Locke would have an issue with Portugal because the Portuguese rulers aren't abusing their power in ways that the people couldn't make a decision for themselves.