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“In 1690, Locke published his Two Treatises of Government. He argued that natural rights such as life, liberty, and property existed in the state of nature and could never be taken away or even voluntarily given up by individuals. These rights were “inalienable”(gk today). Because people have their natural inalienable rights, the people of France used their brains to realize how they were being treated was inappropriate. They were able to overthrow the government and create a new... -
government that cared for everyone’s natural rights.
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Thesis Statement - The enlightenment introduced principles used in the American revolution that eventually made way for the French revolution, such as the social contract and equality of social status, instilling in us a sense of justice that we need in our governments; similar to today, where even with a gap in the social-economic status, justice is equivalent for all. -
“Montesquieu's writings attacked the feudalistic basis of French society. He argued as Locke and Thomas Jefferson that all people were created equal. This ideal eliminated the idea of the Divine Right of Kings to Rule. If the King did not have the right to rule then the people had the right to rebel which they did” (socratic). Monty believed that kings did not have a divine right to rule. He wanted the people to be able to choose their own rulers with elections and not being told... -
who’s going to run the country.
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“Voltaire believed above all in the efficacy of reason. He believed social progress could be achieved through reason and that no authority - religious or political or otherwise - should be immune to challenge by reason. He emphasized in his work the importance of tolerance, especially religious tolerance”(Britannica). In France while Louis XVI was in power, there was no religious freedom, and Catholicism was the only permitted religion. This caused dissent within the French... -
population as there were many protestants within France’s borders. The king simply thought the country would be split if he allowed more than one religion.
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“The Social Contract helped inspire political reforms or revolutions in Europe, especially in France. The Social Contract argued against the idea that monarchs were divinely empowered to legislate. Rousseau asserted that only the people, who are sovereign, have that all-powerful right”(Gk today). Rousseau believed in the social contract, being that if the people did not like their ruler, they should be able to overthrow the government and form a new one. The people of France used... -
the social contract to make a new government.
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“Given that she spent an astonishing 258,000 libres on clothing and accessories in that same year, it was seen as entirely possible…that the greedy ‘foreigner’ could have stolen such a necklace…(history hit). This has to do with the separation of power. This has to do with that because Marie Antoinette had full control of the country’s treasury, with no one to check her and use the money for other purposes. If she had been checked by a treasurer... -
on her spending problems, then the country would have been in a better financial state.
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“The French people saw that a revolt could be successful-even against a major military power-and that lasting change was possible. Many experts argue that this gave them the motivation to rebel. The newly formed government of the United States also became a model for French reformers (History). Because of the American revolution, the French people were able to see that rebelling against an unfair government was possible. The Americans and French were also allies in the American... -
so the French were directly able to see how a rebel attack may play out. Because of this, the French were able to plan their own new government.
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“It was unfair because the bulk of the nation’s direct taxation was levied on the Third Estate. France’s common people, who could least afford to pay, believed they were shouldering most of the nation’s tax burden while the privileged First and Second estates paid little or nothing, despite their comparatively greater wealth (alpha history). This has to do with the natural rights that everyone is born with. Our natural rights are life, liberty, and property. Because of the unfair... -
taxation, some French citizens were paying more taxes than others, only because they were a lower class, which isn’t fair at all. The higher classes, who already had more money, were barely paying the government anything.
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“In the 1780’s the population of France numbered about 24,700,000 and it was divided into three estates, or orders. The estate to which a person belonged was very important because it determined that person’s rights, obligations and status. Usually a person remained in one estate for his or her lifetime, and any movement from upwards in the estate system could take many generations” (historycrunch). The estate system in France was a social hierarchy in which the poor were at the... -
bottom and the rich were at the top. Because the people at the bottom were so poor, they worked the jobs that made the least amount of money and were almost never able to move up a class socially. The people at the top lived luxurious and leisurely lives, never working a day in their lives.
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“Estates System in the French Revolution.” HISTORY CRUNCH - History Articles, Biographies, Infographics, Resources and More, https://www.historycrunch.com/estates-system-in-the-french-revolution.html#/.
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Bauckham, Jon. “'Let Them Eat Cake': What Really Led to Marie Antoinette's Execution?” History Hit, History Hit, 3 Feb. 2021, https://www.historyhit.com/what-really-led-to-marie-antoinettes-execution/.
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GKToday. “Role of Jean-Jacques Rousseau in French Revolution.” GKToday, GKToday, 28 Aug. 2016, https://www.gktoday.in/topic/role-of-jean-jacques-rousseau-in-french-revolution/.
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GKToday. “Role of John Locke in French Revolution.” GKToday, GKToday, 28 Aug. 2016, https://www.gktoday.in/topic/role-of-john-locke-in-french-revolution.
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Marks, Julie. “How Did the American Revolution Influence the French Revolution?” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 1 May 2018, https://www.history.com/news/how-did-the-american-revolution-influence-the-french-revolution.
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“Taxation as a Cause of Revolution.” French Revolution, 30 Sept. 2020, https://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/taxation/.
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“Voltaire.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Voltaire.
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“What Was the Role of Montesquieu in the French Revolution?: Socratic.” Socratic.org, 20 May 2018, https://socratic.org/questions/what-was-the-role-of-montesquieu-in-the-french-revolution.