What Enlightenment philosophers influenced the French Revolution? The ideals of liberty and equality, that were needed to overthrow Louis XVI, emerged first from the writings of important and influential thinkers of the Age of Enlightenment. Specifically, the writings of
John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Baron de Montesquieu
greatly influenced the revolutionaries in France.
How did John Locke influence the French Revolution?
Locke argued that government’s legitimacy comes from the citizens’ delegation to the government of their right of self-defense
. The government thus acts as an impartial, objective agent of that self-defense, rather than each man acting as his own judge, jury, and executioner—the condition in the state of nature.
Did Rousseau influence the French Revolution?
Intro. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, born in Geneva in 1712, was one of the 18th century’s most important political thinkers. His work focused on the relationship between human society and the individual, and
contributed to the ideas that would lead eventually to the French Revolution
.
What was the contribution of Rousseau Montesquieu and Voltaire to the French Revolution?
Among them were Voltaire , Rousseau , Montesquieu and Dederot .
Their revolutionary ideas helped the people to fight for their rights
. (2) They exposed the inefficiency of the monarch and and his government. (3)Voltaire’s ideas encouraged people to fight against the privileges and finance of the Church without guilt.
Did Voltaire influence the Declaration of Independence?
The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. These two authors, Paine and Jefferson got their ideas from the Enlightenment philosophers Voltaire, Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu.
One philosopher’s ideas that was found in both documents was Voltaire.
Summary: Enlightenment ideals of rationalism and intellectual and religious freedom
pervaded the American colonial religious landscape
, and these values were instrumental in the American Revolution and the creation of a nation without an established religion.
Montesquieu’s writings help to create a desire for freedom and
helped to spark the French Revolution
.
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.
Influenced by
Denis Diderot (1713-1784) was a writer and philosopher whose corpus of work
contributed to the ideas of the French Revolution
. Born in Champagne, northern France, Diderot received a typical religious education before relocating to Paris to study philosophy.
Freedom of expression, tolerance in the matters of religion, resistance to oppression, and dedication to the dignity of the common man
, these are all fundamental principles in the mind of Voltaire, and struck to the very core of Jefferson’s being.
The Enlightenment influenced the French Revolution to a great extent by introducing new ideas that encouraged questioning of authority and religion, advancing people’s outlook on commodities, and forcing citizens to compare their need with the Republic’s needs.
How did Enlightenment ideas influence supporters of the French Revolution? People liked the ideas that people thought of new forms of government and also ideas such as freedom and pursuit of Hapiness, they wanted to be able to make their own choices and not have the government controlling them.
The English philosopher and political theorist John Locke (1632-1704)
laid much of the groundwork for the Enlightenment and made central contributions to the development of liberalism
. Trained in medicine, he was a key advocate of the empirical approaches of the Scientific Revolution.
Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher, who
attacked the Catholic Church and advocated freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state
.
Rousseau believed
modern man’s enslavement to his own needs
was responsible for all sorts of societal ills, from exploitation and domination of others to poor self-esteem and depression. Rousseau believed that good government must have the freedom of all its citizens as its most fundamental objective.
How did Enlightenment ideas influence supporters of the French Revolution? People liked the ideas that people thought of new forms of government and also ideas such as freedom and pursuit of Hapiness, they wanted to be able to make their own choices and not have the government controlling them.
