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Effects Of The Enlightenment

Decent Essays

Due to the rapid pace at which the world changes, it may be surprising to learn that Enlightenment ideas that originated centuries ago are still present in modern society. Despite their age, Enlightenment ideas regarding how the government should function are still in use in various places, such as the United States government. The past effects of these ideas are also still visible in the present, as their appearance supported and helped trigger revolutions in places such as France and the American colonies. At the time of their conception, these ideas proposed a different kind of government than existed in most any country, and were considered by some to be too liberal, while others advocated in favor of them due to the various ways they …show more content…

Up to this point in time, it was not uncommon for monarchs and rulers to infringe upon these rights in favor of their own satisfaction; monarchs forced taxes upon their subjects in order to fund their own projects and lifestyles, and some were known to oppress their people in an attempt to maintain power for an indefinite amount of time. Under this Enlightenment idea, the government was tasked with preventing these occurrences from taking place, therefore protecting these basic rights and, by extension, the people’s quality of life.
One Enlightenment idea that is visible in more countries than most actually came about due to a misunderstanding: Baron de Montesquieu incorrectly assessed the responsibilities of the various components of the British government, thus leading him to the conclusion that the powers of the government should be separated between multiple branches, though Montesquieu proposed three. In doing so, the government, as well as rulers and monarchs, would be unable to abuse their power due to the system of checks and balances that would be created by the separation, consequently solving problems various people had with their rulers’ abuses of power. This is arguably one of the more popular Enlightenment ideas, as differing versions of it have been implemented in countries across

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