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 />
Privatization of state industries, autarky (self-sufficiency), and tariffs on imports were some thing Hitler implemented in Nazi Germany. This helped raise wages significantly at the time.
The 16th, 19th, and 26th amendment changed the relationship between the state and federal government by giving more control to the federal government.
For example, the 16th amendment resulted in the creation of the federal income tax. This resulted in a consistent stream of revenue going to the federal government. Before this time, many taxes were decided by state governments.
The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote. This ensured that all states that had laws against women being able to vote would now have to get rid of these laws.
The 26th amendment gave citizens 18 years or older to vote. This infringed upon the rights of state governments as well, as they were the ones who decided the voting age for citizens within their state.
