How Did The Enlightenment Influence The French Revolution

     Since both France and America had the same philosophers to influence them, they were ?enlightened? with the same ideas, which are seen later in both constitutions. England also played a big part in influencing both nations but it was the famous philosophers like Montesquieu, Rousseau, John Lock and Voltaire who lead the revolution to be a fight for human rights. Voltaire, one of the most influential philosophers of his time, having been influenced himself by John Lock emphasized his ideas on reason and the natural rights of human beings and made the people in France and America realize the rights as human beings they should have. Montesquieu was a French jurist and political philosopher who advocated a ?free and balanced aristocratic government? to be established in France. One of his main ideas was his political thought on the separation of powers in where each branch of the government would limit the power of the other two branches as so no branch could become a threat to liberty and therefore no tyranny could occur. Rousseau, a French political philosopher influenced both nations with his preaches

Both the Enlightenment and the Great awakening caused the colonists to alter their views about government, the role of government, as well as society at large which ultimately and collectively helped to motivate the colonists to revolt against England. The Enlightenment was vital in almost every part of the founding of America, which included everything from government, to politics itself, as well as religion. Many of the ideas from the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening shaped our country as a whole in its seminal years, inspiring everything from the American Revolution, to the Constitution, and even electricity and stoves. Without the central ideas and figures of both the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment era, the United States

the claim to the Crown, and he believed that individuals held the right to revolt against a

No one could have imagined the impact that the Enlightenment would have and its long-lasting effect. The Enlightenment and its ideas became so widespread that they did not only affect France, but many other countries also. The French Revolution was directly inspired and influenced by the Enlightenment. Revolutionaries in France built their cause around the ideals of the Age of Reason.

When looking at the similarities and differences between the United States of America’s declaration and France’s declaration, it is clear to see that both promised equality for men, sadly this was far from the truth. This is especially shown in “The French Declaration Of Rights of Man and Citizens” because how different their society was at the time. The Enlightenment was crucial in determining almost every aspect of America, mostly in terms of politics, government, and individual lives. Without the central ideas and figures of the Enlightenment, the United States would have been drastically different since these concepts shaped the country at the time of the revolution. These Constitutions had similar ideas to make a better political society, but the outcomes were completely different.

The American and French Revolutions were both fundamentally based on the Enlightenment ideas. The main ideas that they followed were by John Locke. His ideas inspired the Americans and the French to have a revolution. In these revolutions, the Americans had success and the French failed. The success that the Americans experienced wad due to the protection of rights they had. These rights are 'Life, Liberty and Property.? In America a constitution was put together that provided for a stable government and also a representative government. In France failure was caused by chaos, terror, fear and war. The French were unsuccessful because they failed to create a democratic

In 1787, a few years after the British recognized American independency, the Revolution in France was beginning to unravel. France was desperately in need of financial assistance; it lacked a National Bank and National Treasury system. France had supported the American colonists in the American Revolution, and also gave financial support in the War of Austrian Succession, and the Seven Years War. A combination of the financial support given in these wars, maintaining their military, and the fact that France spent more then it collected in taxes each year, resulted in a substantial debt crisis for France.

Enlightenment thinkers, also known as philosophers had a major impact on the American and French Revolution. Philosophers from the 1700s influenced the making of two documents known as United States’ Declaration of Independence and France’s Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens. The Declaration of Independence is a document that was written in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson. It reflects the beliefs of enlightenment philosopher, John Locke. Written in 1793 by Marquis de Lafayette, the Declaration of the rights of man and of the citizen was influenced by the beliefs of Voltaire, another Enlightenment thinker. John Locke didn’t like the idea of absolute monarchy. He favored the idea of self- government and equal rights. Locke believed that the

The underlying long term and short term effects that lead to the American Revolution were the Townshend Acts, Boston Tea Party, and the Enlightenment; these events were the final straw that led to the strive for independence. The Enlightenment was the most significant long-term effect of the American Revolution because it was the start of people thinking outside religion and showing them they didn’t need to follow everything the church or the government said. It also led to the colonists believing Britain had taken away their natural rights and the social contract. This led to the American Revolution because they now believed that Britain had no right to rule them and decided to revolt. John Locke said the government should protect natural rights including life, liberty, and property and the colonists saw they weren’t getting it.

The ideas of the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening justified colonists’ unhappiness with English policies after the French and Indian War. The ideas of the Great Awakening encouraged people to challenge authority, and other political and social traditions, which made the colonists want to be in control of their own government. The ideas of the Great Awakening also sparked ideas of independence from England. The ideas of the Enlightenment challenged traditional social practices. The Enlightenment made colonists value justice, equality and the colonists wanted social and political change. During the Enlightenment an English philosopher, John Locke, had challenged the belief that kings had a God-given right to rule. John Locke had also claimed

America’s Revolution gave birth to real applications of Enlightenment ideals, and in doing so spurred movements of independence and democracy around the world during the same time period and into the future. “Three major events of the American Revolution had great influence on Europe: Signing the Declaration of Independence, Implementing the ideas of Enlightenment, Forming the U.S constitution” (ADD SOURCE). In the years following the American Revolution, France fell into their own revolution, which Thomas Jefferson said “[The French Revolution] has been awakened by our [American] revolution” (Strayer 784). On the dawning of the French Revolution, a Paris newspaper announced that the United States was “the hope and model of the human race” (Dunn). Because the French were our allies in our revolution against Britain, many of their leaders had a very intimate experience with our ideals of freedom and political representation. They brought back the ideas they heard and witnessed and used them to shape their own revolution against King Louis XVI, and they were the most important parts of the revolution the French people built. “The French

The original framers of the United States Constitution all shared a common fear. The framers believed that political parties were selfish serving political bodies that were not beneficial for the government. As George Washington’s second term came to an end, he feared that the union was at risk due to new political divisions developing among the nation. The creation of the Federalist and Democratic-Republican political parties had created widespread disagreement and tension among the union. The Federalist led by famous founding fathers such as Alexander Hamilton and John Adams believed in a strong central government and representative republic. On the other side of the political debate stood the Democratic-Republicans led by known figures such as Thomas Jefferson. The Democratic-Republicans believed in a weaker central government where the majority of power remained in the hands of the states and the citizens. By the end of George Washington’s presidency, the political parties had become hostile with one another, and it was clear that the United States was divided among two factions. With the issue of political parties threatening the strength of the Union, George Washington warned the nation of his dire concern when writing his Farewell Address. The United States, furthermore, faced issues with foreign affairs in Europe during George Washington's two terms as president. Caught in the middle of a war between France and Britain, the United States attempted to stay neutral

The French Revolution began in 1789 and lasted until the late 1790s. During this time, French citizens redesigned their government. Like the American Revolution, the French Revolution was influenced by Enlightenment ideals. The Enlightenment Ideals that caused the French Revolution stated that all men are free and equal. The movement played an important role in shaping modern nations by showing the world the power that people withhold. France’s involvement in the American Revolution left them on the brink of bankruptcy. Heavy taxes were imposed, resulting in rioting, looting, and striking. As a result of the French Revolution, the people of the First Estate lost certain privileges, such as being exempt from taxes. France was no longer a monarchy, because it became a Republic after the Revolution. Both the French and American Revolutions were influenced

How did the ideals of the enlightenment influence the revolutions? Can you see these ideals in our society?

The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, who were pro British. They supported a strong centralized government, the development of commercial and economic interests, and the British cause. They despise the violence of the Terror in France and feared the impacts the Revolution would bring. They favored the cultivation of America's strong cultural and commercial ties to England. The opposing party is the Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, who were pro France. This party favored a small government and establishing an egalitarian society. They feared centralized power and perceived the French revolutionaries as fellow defenders of liberty. They demanded that the United States support the French against the wealthy and corrupt British.