Question

How did Enlightenment ideas show up in the various Democratic Revolutions?

Answer 1

The Enlightenment period resulted in the creation of many different ideas seen in politics all across the world. A perfect example would be the concept of natural rights. Natural rights are supposed to be basic rights that all humans have. When first developed these included life, liberty, and property. This concept was seen in the French Revolution, as the Third Estate fought for the idea and used the phrase "Liberty, equality, and fraternity" to display what natural rights they had as citizens.

Another Enlightenment idea seen in democratic revolutions is the idea of the social contract. The social contract was an agreement between the people and the government that stated that citizens would give up some of their freedoms so that the government could make laws. If a government failed to own up to their end of the social contract, the citizens had a right to revolt. This is a perfect example of what happened during the American Revolution. American colonists felt that the British government was being unjust and was not ruling by the consent of the governed (aka the consent of the people) so they rebelled.