The French Revolution was heavily influenced by the Enlightenment thinkers and their fundamental objectives of liberty, human rights, and freedom; insinuating the creation of important French documents, comparable to the United States utilizing these...
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Thesis Continued
ideas previously to create relevant systems still used today. -
Enlightenment Ideas and Philosophers
“Although the Enlightenment took place many years before the outbreak of the French Revolution, its ideas and achievements still had a profound effect on the French Revolution” (Age of Enlightenment Impact on the French Revolution). Of the many causes in the French Revolution, the Enlightenment ideas are actually looked at to be some of the major causes. The Enlightenment ideas were crucial to overthrowing King Louis XVI. Out of all Enlightenment philosophers, the most relevant and influential.. -
Enlightenment Ideas and Philosophers 2
for the French Revolution were John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), and Baron de Montesquieu. -
John Locke
“He (John Locke) argued that people have rights, such as the right to life, liberty, and property, that have a foundation independent of the laws of any particular society” (Locke’s Political Philosophy). The French began to hear about their natural rights and collectively agreed that those rights were being violated by the French Government. In 1689, Locke wrote his Second Treatise of Government, which was 100 years before the French Revolution. It took a long time for France to revolt, even.. -
John Locke 2
when they had key ideas and information in Europe that were enough to spark a revolution. -
François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire) 2
great impact on Europe in the 18th century. -
François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire)
“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” (Britannica). Voltaire was known for his wit and attacks on the Catholic Church. He was an advocate for freedom of religion, speech, and expression. Voltaire believed that the best weapon against a bad government was freedom of speech. An influential philosopher like Voltaire had a.. -
Baron de Montesquieu
“Montesquieu concluded that the best form of government was one in which the legislative, executive, and judicial powers were separate and kept each other in check to prevent any branch from becoming too powerful” (Developments in Democracy).Baron de Montesquieu believed that if these powers were united, then despotism would occur like it did in France. He died before the French Revolution, but the citizens of France agreed with what he wrote. With the help of Montesquieu’s ideas, the people... -
Baron de Montesquieu 2
executed King Louis and decided to fix their government with new laws, declarations, and constitutions. -
Jean Jacques Rousseau
“Rousseau believed that society and government created a social contract when their goals were freedom and the benefit of the public. Government became the supreme ruler, but its existence depended on the will of the people”. (Jean Jacques Rousseau). Jean Jacques Rousseau creatively wrote many books with topics such as opera, novels, and romance to explain his philosophy. His philosophy was that people are good, but corrupted by evils in society. He believed those evils to be science, -
Jean Jacques Rousseau 2
government, and social institutions. Rousseau believed that all political power should reside in the people; this is called a direct democracy where everyone could vote. -
World Affairs
“France’s costly involvement in the American Revolution, and extravagant spending by King Louis XVI and his predecessor, had left the country on the brink of bankruptcy” (French Revolution). Other than the fact that King Louis XVI spent all the taxes on himself and his wife, the French Revolution came only 6 years after the American Revolution. France was involved in giving the Americans troops, money, and weapons, which caused them to be even more poverty-stricken. Voltaire’s idea of... -
World Affairs
separation of church and state is an example of what needed to happen with King Louis. King Louis thought that since he was chosen by God that he could spend whatever money he wanted. By separating the church and state, the people are looked at to be better taken care of. -
Storming of the Bastille
“On 14 July 1789, a state prison on the east side of Paris, known as the Bastille, was attacked by an angry and aggressive mob. The prison had become a symbol of the monarchy’s dictatorial rule, and the event became one of the defining moments in the Revolution that followed” (Storming of the Bastille). The start of the Revolution came at the time of the storming of the Bastille Prison. The prison only had 7 prisoners in it at the time, but the mob came for the ammunition. The mob killed the.. -
Storming of the Bastille 2
governor, who would not comply, and proceeded to carry his head on a spike on the streets. In this event, a republic began to set up the ideas of “liberty, equality, and brotherhood” which have similarities to John Locke’s three natural rights of people. The French realized they deserved these rights and put their plans to get them into action. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen 2
articles in this document started the country off. The Declaration provoked even more discussion about rights, who deserved them, and what needed to be changed. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen directly correlates to Rousseau’s idea that a social contract of equality needs to be put in effect in order to have a successful government. This document challenged the authority of the King and helped prompt France to be a more modern society. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
“The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen . . . is a fundamental document of the French Revolution that granted civil rights to some commoners, although it excluded a significant segment of the French population” (The Declaration of the Rights of Man). Many of the concepts in this Declaration, created by the National Assembly, came from famous Enlightenment thinkers. There were many Declarations and Constitutions that came after The Declaration of the Rights of Man, but the 17... -
Women's March and Scarcity of Food
“For France, which with 26 million inhabitants in 1789 was the most populated country of Europe, the problem was most acute” (Britannica). With the increasing population, there was an increasing demand for food and other goods. An economic crisis occurred when there were years of failed harvest and it induced panic and revolt. Food prices increased and everyone was broke. This was not a good combination for a country on the brink of a revolution. Many were concerned about the prices of bread... -
Women's March and Scarcity of Food 2
and its scarcity; a march occurred that is now called, The Women’s March On Versailles, where mostly women threatened the King and Queen to go to Paris. The Women's March on Versailles is one of the first large actions of the French Revolution along with the Raid on Bastille. Montesquieu’s idea of needing balance between powers can be applied here because King Louis XVI was the one in charge of prices for the people. King Louis had too much power and judicial, legislative, and executive branches -
Women's March and Scarcity of Food 3
would have been helpful to make crucial decisions about pricing and different ways to distribute food. In short, it was impossible for King Louis to please the people because no one liked him and one man couldn't do everything himself. -
King Louis XVI Execution
“The people viewed King Louis XVI as a traitor as he had attempted to secretly flee the country. . . On January 21, he was driven through the streets of Paris to a guillotine and decapitated” (Anirudh) After countless bad decisions on King Louis’ part, the people had enough. The Legislative Assembly arrested the King and Queen and the monarchy was abolished. Not long after these events, the King was found guilty. King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were guillotined on the same day. -
King Louis XVI Execution 2
This event is an incredibly extreme (and negative) example of Rousseau’s idea of the people having the power because the French were the ones who decided to execute the Royals. Everyone agreed to it and voted, so in a twisted way, it was direct democracy. -
Enlightenment Today
Enlightenment Ideas have essentially created and influenced any Democracy today, like the United States. Enlightenment still matters because government is divided into three main sections, people have natural rights that they are aware of, and have freedom of religion and speech. John Locke's ideas are also used all throughout the world. Since the US has a democracy, people are able to vote for who they want to represent them. Enlightenment helped create countries, but also maintain them. -
Works Cited
Constitutional Rights Foundation. https://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-20-2-c-hobbes-locke-montesquieu-and-rousseau-on-government.html#:~:text=Montesquieu%20concluded%20that%20the%20best,XIV%2C%20would%20lead%20to%20despotism. Accessed 17 May 2021. -
Works Cited 2
Editors, History com. “French Revolution.” HISTORY, https://www.history.com/topics/france/french-revolution. Accessed 17 May 2021. -
Works Cited 3
“Enlightenment Impact on the French Revolution.” History Crunch - History Articles, Summaries, Biographies, Resources and More, https://www.historycrunch.com/enlightenment-impact-on-the-french-revolution.html. Accessed 17 May 2021. -
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“French Revolution | History, Summary, Timeline, Causes, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/event/French-Revolution. Accessed 17 May 2021. -
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Jean Jacques Rousseau. https://law.jrank.org/pages/9936/Rousseau-Jean-Jacques.html. Accessed 17 May 2021. -
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Storming of the Bastille. https://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item106472.html. Accessed 17 May 2021. -
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Ten Major Events of the French Revolution and Their Dates | Learnodo Newtonic. https://learnodo-newtonic.com/french-revolution-events-dates. Accessed 17 May 2021. -
Works Cited 8
The Declaration of the Rights of Man | History of Western Civilization II. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldhistory2/chapter/the-declaration-of-the-rights-of-man/#:~:text=The%20Declaration%20of%20the%20Rights%20of%20Man%20and%20of%20the,segment%20of%20the%20French%20population. Accessed 17 May 2021. -
Works Cited 9
Tuckness, Alex. “Locke’s Political Philosophy.” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N. Zalta, Winter 2020, Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2020. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2020/entries/locke-political/. -
Works Cited 10
“Voltaire | Biography, Works, Philosophy, Ideas, Beliefs, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Voltaire. Accessed 17 May 2021.