What Enlightenment Ideas Caused The French Revolution?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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What Enlightenment ideas caused 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.

What are the 5 main ideas of the Enlightenment?

Six Key Ideas. At least six ideas came to punctuate American Enlightenment thinking: deism, liberalism, republicanism, conservatism, toleration and scientific progress . Many of these were shared with European Enlightenment thinkers, but in some instances took a uniquely American form.

What was a major cause of the French Revolution?

The upheaval was caused by widespread discontent with the French monarchy and the poor economic policies of King Louis XVI , who met his death by guillotine, as did his wife Marie Antoinette.

How did the Enlightenment influence the French Revolution quizlet?

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.

What were the 5 causes of the French Revolution?

The causes can be narrowed to five main factors: the Estate System, Absolutism, ideas stemming from the Enlightenment, food shortages, and The American Revolution .

The French who had direct contact with the Americans were able to successfully implement Enlightenment ideas into a new political system . The National Assembly in France even used the American Declaration of Independence as a model when drafting the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen in 1789.

The Enlightenment included a range of ideas centered on the value of human happiness, the pursuit of knowledge obtained by means of reason and the evidence of the senses, and ideals such as liberty, progress, toleration, fraternity, constitutional government, and separation of church and state.

The causes of the Enlightenment was the Thirty Years’ War, centuries of mistreatment at the hands of monarchies and the church, greater exploration of the world, and European thinkers’ interest in the world (scientific study).

Using the power of the press, Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke, Isaac Newton, and Voltaire questioned accepted knowledge and spread new ideas about openness, investigation, and religious tolerance throughout Europe and the Americas.

The Enlightenment ideas were the main influences for American Colonies to become their own nation. Some of the leaders of the American Revolution were influenced by Enlightenment ideas which are, freedom of speech, equality, freedom of press, and religious tolerance .

What theme does the Enlightenment share with the documents created around the American and French Revolutions? The Enlightenment inspired American and French philosophers to promote several themes with words and actions, but the most important was the concept of natural human rights .

In conclusion, the Enlightenment was vital to the American Revolution and the creation of American Government. The Enlightenment beliefs that influenced the American Revolution were natural rights, the social contract, and the right to overthrow the government if the social contract was violated .

The enlightenment was not only a movement of new ideas, but a spark among French peasants that helped to spread the ideas of individual freedom which, in turn, led to the French Revolution. The economic ideas of Adam Smith and the laissez-faire from the age of Enlightenment all had an impact on the French Revolution.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.