The French Revolution And The Enlightenment

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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.

The French Revolution was a period of far-reaching social and political change in France that lasted from 1789 to 1799. Before the revolution there was a period of time called the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was a philosophical movement in which followers considered that human reason brought a move from theory to practice and criticism to reforming education, household administration, social reactions and politics. Voltaire, a French philosopher and contributor to the Age of Enlightenment, expressed these ideas utilizing his intelligence, wit and style to mark his name as one of France’s greatest writers. The Enlightenment influenced the French Revolution to a great extent by introducing new ideas that encouraged questioning of authority and religion, advancing people’s outlook on commodities, and forcing citizens to compare their need with the Republic’s needs. This further brought an uprising of people wanting more such as equality and civil rights. In the process to do so there were 250,000 casualties in the Reign of Terror followed the Thermidorian Reaction which implemented an oligarchy government called the Directory. Royalist riots prompted the Coup d’etat of Fructidor which brought Napoleon into Directory which he later overthrows and creates an Authoritarian Republic.

The Enlightenment was the root of many of the ideas of the American Revolution. It was a movement that focused mostly on freedom of speech, equality, freedom of press, and religious tolerance. The American Revolution was the time period where America tried to gain its independence from England. They got influenced very much from many philosophers. That will be discussed throughout the essay. The Enlightenment ideas were the main influences for American Colonies to become their own nation.

The Enlightenment is said to have begun in the 1680’s, the same decade that the “Glorious Revolution” occurred, which crowned daughter of James II Mary and her husband Prince William of Orange Monarchs of England. This turning point in English history can be considered part of the Enlightenment due to the switch from an Absolute Monarchy to a Constitutional Monarchy and the passing of the English Bill of Rights in 1689 after William’s ascension to the throne.

The ideas of the Enlightenment inspired both the American and French Revolution. The Revolution was based on the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Philosophers of the Enlightenment, known as philosophes, favored limited monarchy, freedom of speech, and equality. The Enlightenment was based on the ideas of John Locke who said that all men are born with natural rights of life, liberty, and property. He believed that human nature was basically good and that in a state of nature, without any government, people would be reasonable and cooperative and could both learn from their experiences and improve themselves. France’s government and society on the eve of the Revolution went against everything the Enlightenment philosophers favored.

The Renaissance and the Enlightenment are two significant periods in world history, specifically in European history. The Renaissance and the Enlightenment have distinctive characteristics, but share the notion of being periods of discovery in many aspects of life. Each period has its own set of beliefs, values, and ideals otherwise known as a “worldview”. It can be thought of as a framework of principles through which people interpret the world, and how society should be shaped. The Renaissance is focused on the artistic side of human life. However, the Enlightenment is more intellectual in focus and that advancement has shaped the modern view of an open, progressive and culturally diverse society enjoyed today.

The Enlightenment was a movement which focused on logic and individualism instead of tradition lasting between the 17th and 18th centuries. Ideas from Enlightenment influenced the uprising within the American colonies, France, and Latin America throughout the 1700’s. Thomas Hobbes thought the best government should have single ruler. John Locke thought that people should rule themselves instead of kings. One of the main ideas is that people should be governed by reason, not by tradition.

To what extent were Enlightenment ideas responsible for the outbreak of the French Revolution and the reforms of 1789?

In Europe in the late seventeenth to eighteenth century, The Enlightenment took place. The Enlightenment was a time when people began to question the status quo. Many creative philosophers -who were well educated people- would gather and talk about how things are and how they could be. Topics of discussion included views about the economy or government. Three of the most well known and influential philosophers during this time were John Locke, Voltaire, and Mary Wollstonecraft. John Locke was an English philosopher who thought that the government had too much control. He thought that if the government wasn’t so persistent in people's’ everyday lives, then society would become much better for everyone. Voltaire was a French philosopher

In the 1600’s the reign of James II in England with his emphasis on Catholic practices and the censorship of mail motivated English Parliament to undertake a journey to the Netherlands in search of new leaders by the names of William and Mary. Their arrival in England prompted James II to abdicate his throne. This further propelled the period of William and Mary’s reign otherwise known the Glorious Revolution. Additionally, it put forth a new period of constitutional monarchy, religious toleration, and peaceful succession in England. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 led to the Enlightenment because, William of Orange promoted and protected religious toleration and a constitutional monarchy. Furthermore, the majority of English Protestants agreed with William of Orange’s stance and allowed the Glorious Revolution to further inspire them as enlightened thinkers. However, William was still heralded as a king and the people of England nevertheless portrayed him an absolute monarch.

The Enlightenment of the 18th century evolved due to the many changes brought about by the Scientific Revolution. With all of the new scientific discoveries, new thought processes were developed. The scientists of the Scientific Revolution brought about revolutionary change. These scientists inspired the philosophes of the Enlightenment to challenge the ways of the "Old Regime" and question the ideas of the church. Philosophers such as Francois Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Locke published their controversial ideas and these ideas along with some important political action, helped to mold a new type of society. The new society was one that tolerated different religious beliefs. "The minds of men, abandoning the old disciplines

The English Enlightenment: In 1649, English Civil War overthrows Charles I, installs Cromwell. In 1651, Hobbes publishes Leviathan. In 1688, Glorious Revolution unseats James II, installs William and Mary. 1689, English Bill of Rights was drafted. In 1690, Locke publishes Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Two Treatises of Government. Thomas Hobbes was a Pessimistic English political philosopher; argued that man in his natural state is selfish and savage and therefore a single absolute ruler is the best form of government. John Locke Optimistic English political philosopher; argued for man’s essentially good nature; advocated representative government as an ideal formal. The English Civil War: Seventeenth-century England endured a pair of tense struggles for political power that had a profound impact on the philosophers of the English Enlightenment. The first power struggle came in 1649, when the English Civil War resulted in the execution of King Charles I and the establishment of a commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell. Although this republic endured for a decade, it also essentially devolved into dictatorship, and England ended up reverting to monarchy with the restoration of Charles II to the throne. The Glorious Revolution: The reestablished monarchy had clear limits placed on its absolute power, however, as was made clear in the bloodless Glorious Revolution of 1688, in which the English people overthrew a king they deemed unacceptable and basically chose their next

Enlightenment in Europe was a period in which ideas were legitimately from one country to another. It is also known as civilization time where traditional authority was put to the question while embracing the notion of humanity to improve human change. The French revolution was directly in motivation by Enlightenment ideals which marked a peak of its influence and a beginning of its fall. The Enlightenment 's imperative of the seventeenth-century forerunners incorporated the Englishmen Francis Bacon and Thomas Hobbes, the Frenchman Renee Descartes and the important characteristic logicians of the Scientific Revolution, including Galileo, Kepler, and Leibniz. The civilization called for changes in different parts of Europe and America than

The French Revolution (1789-1814) was a period that affected the outcome of world history tremendously. This is considered a major turning point in European history which has led to dramatic changes in France and other regions of the world. Various social and political issues led to the start of the revolution. Politically, France suffered under the rule of Louis XVI, who ruled by absolute monarchy. Many people had their natural rights renounced and weren’t able to have a political voice. Socially, France had divided its population within 3 estates (classes). French citizens took it upon themselves to remodel their country 's’ political structure. The French Revolution had encountered both positive and negative effects. However, many Europeans viewed the Revolution as much more than just a bloody massacre. The French Revolution was used to demonstrate new ideology that would emphasize the principles of liberty and equality throughout Europe.