Question

How did Enlightenment philosophy influence the political revolutions of the 1700s and 1800s?

Answer 1

The Enlightenment was a philosophical movement during the 18th century that included progressive thought in liberty, church and state, constitutional rights/government, and authority. The American and French revolutions were both highly influenced by the enlightenment. Certain philosophical figures such as John Locke and Rousseau's ideas were adopted by revolutionaries. Locke argued that kings and monarchs should not have absolute power and that people should give away a little bit of certain freedom while keeping their natural rights that they are born with. This is evident by King George III of England using his monarch powers to impose heavy taxes on the colonists, who felt that they were loosing rights as they were taxed without proper representation. The drafting of the Declaration of Independence also echoed Locke's emphasis on life, liberty and property by saying 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Thomas Jefferson was highly influenced by the idea of citizens having the right to overthrow their government which was stated by John Locke.

The French Revolution was also similar in that it was influenced by enlightened thought as well. The majority of the French population was always outvoted in the Estate assembly, where the nobility and clergy always outvoted the third Estate made up of commoners and the lower class who were suffering from economic depression. Voltaire, one writer thought that citizens have the right to free speech and religious tolerance which was lacking to the French majority. Also, King Louis XVI was highly incompetent with handling the economic issues faced by those in the third Estate. Rousseau was influential with his concept of a social contract by stating that "man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains", which is similarly states in the Declaration of the Rights of Man stating that "men are born and remain free and equal in rights". The progressive ideas were influential to two revolutions that were both rooted in political and social oppression by an authoritative body. Without these thinkers, there would be little guidance for revolutionaries who seeked a better form of government and basic rights.<span />