The movement known as the enlightenment occurred during the 1600s and 1700s.
Explanation:
Enlightenment was a period of socially critical thinking in Europe that went mostly from 1688 to 1789, which expressed a belief in human abilities and promoted the humanistic ideals of the Renaissance in a societal perspective.
The period prior to the Enlightenment was characterized by increasing social refraction. The bourgeoisie was growing and began to demand a share in the political power, thus challenging the monarchy. The Church and Christianity lost much of their credibility as science developed and could provide answers and explanations for natural phenomena other than those that the Church had traditionally stood for. The Age of Enlightenment gathered and focused on these pre-existing trends and demanded the abolition of monopoly, on government, on human rights, the reduction of the Church's power over social life, and finally it built on a confidence that through enlightenment - about science and philosophy - individuals could became better persons and make up a better society.
