The French Revolution was a period of far-reaching social and political change in France that lasted from 1789 to 1799. Before the revolution there was a period of time called the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was a philosophical movement in which followers considered that human reason brought a move from theory to practice and criticism to reforming education, household administration, social reactions and politics. Voltaire, a French philosopher and contributor to the Age of Enlightenment, expressed these ideas utilizing his intelligence, wit and style to mark his name as one of France’s greatest writers. 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. This further brought an uprising of people wanting more such as equality and civil rights. In the process to do so there were 250,000 casualties in the Reign of Terror followed the Thermidorian Reaction which implemented an oligarchy government called the Directory. Royalist riots prompted the Coup d’etat of Fructidor which brought Napoleon into Directory which he later overthrows and creates an Authoritarian Republic.
The ideas of equality and rights to men which were stressed by Enlightenment philosophers are all incorporated into documents 1,4 and 5. Society before the French revolution was
The view that the Enlightenment had directly caused the French Revolution is considered as one of the oldest interpretations. When considering the reliability of this view, one must take into account the possibility that it has been outdated by other historians’ interpretations that have emerged afterwards. Revisionist historians such as William Doyle argue that the Philosophes themselves did not have revolutionary intentions. Doyle questioned the notion that the Enlightenment was the sole cause of the French Revolution by considering that even if the Philosophes had not inputted, the French Revolution might have still happened. (Adcock, 2004, p.27) But before the Enlightenment, inequality had existed under the ancien régime for hundreds of years-the culture of deference was imbedded within law and tradition.
Enlightenment thinkers, also known as philosophers had a major impact on the American and French Revolution. Philosophers from the 1700s influenced the making of two documents known as United States’ Declaration of Independence and France’s Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens. The Declaration of Independence is a document that was written in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson. It reflects the beliefs of enlightenment philosopher, John Locke. Written in 1793 by Marquis de Lafayette, the Declaration of the rights of man and of the citizen was influenced by the beliefs of Voltaire, another Enlightenment thinker. John Locke didn’t like the idea of absolute monarchy. He favored the idea of self- government and equal rights. Locke believed that the
Giving new ideas to people can open their minds. With those other ideas, they can rebel against what they originally believed. These give them new options for society. This was seen during the Enlightenment Period. During this period, previously held concepts of thought were challenged. The Enlightenment helped add intellect to the French Revolution. The Enlightenment had a negative influence on the French Revolution by changing the minds of the common people.
To what extent were Enlightenment ideas responsible for the outbreak of the French Revolution and the reforms of 1789?
No one could have imagined the impact that the Enlightenment would have and its long-lasting effect. The Enlightenment and its ideas became so widespread that they did not only affect France, but many other countries also. The French Revolution was directly inspired and influenced by the Enlightenment. Revolutionaries in France built their cause around the ideals of the Age of Reason.
The French Revolution was inspired by the ideas from the Enlightenment. The main goal that the Enlightenment tried to reach was to promote scientific reasoning and end the injustice in the way governments were performing. The French Revolution was mainly a series of upheaving 's aiming to gain social and political reforms, along with ways to govern more justly. Due to the previous era, being the Enlightenment, French Revolutionists saw that Enlightenment participants, such as Rousseau, Voltaire, Robspierre ,and Beccaria, along with works such as Declaration of the Rights of Man and multiple posters, took a step towards new reforms and follow in their path and ideas. These French Revolutionists succeeded in some ways, yet remained unsuccessful in more ways.
The French revolution which is also referred to as the Revolution of 1789 was a period characterized by both social and political upheaval that span close to a decade in France. It was during this period that the country’s political landscape was redesigned and it involved
In the 18th centurty, people in North America and Europe were revolting against the common enemy, the Kingdom of Great Britain. There were two wars, The Revolutionay War, and The French Revolution. Both of these wars were influenced by the enlightenment, but what were the philosophies of each war, and what happened at the end of them?
In 1789, France was the heart of Enlightenment thought, however, in addition to this, the government was corrupt and there were growing socioeconomic tensions throughout the country. This corruption and tension between the classes fueled the French Revolution. The motto of the Revolution, “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité”, had deep roots in the ideas and works of Enlightenment Philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Locke. Enlightenment ideas about religion and society played a major role in the creation and purpose of the new policies from the Revolution. Rousseau, Locke, and Montesquieu
The French Revolution (1789-1814) was a period that affected the outcome of world history tremendously. This is considered a major turning point in European history which has led to dramatic changes in France and other regions of the world. Various social and political issues led to the start of the revolution. Politically, France suffered under the rule of Louis XVI, who ruled by absolute monarchy. Many people had their natural rights renounced and weren’t able to have a political voice. Socially, France had divided its population within 3 estates (classes). French citizens took it upon themselves to remodel their country 's’ political structure. The French Revolution had encountered both positive and negative effects. However, many Europeans viewed the Revolution as much more than just a bloody massacre. The French Revolution was used to demonstrate new ideology that would emphasize the principles of liberty and equality throughout Europe.
Enlightenment in Europe was a period in which ideas were legitimately from one country to another. It is also known as civilization time where traditional authority was put to the question while embracing the notion of humanity to improve human change. The French revolution was directly in motivation by Enlightenment ideals which marked a peak of its influence and a beginning of its fall. The Enlightenment 's imperative of the seventeenth-century forerunners incorporated the Englishmen Francis Bacon and Thomas Hobbes, the Frenchman Renee Descartes and the important characteristic logicians of the Scientific Revolution, including Galileo, Kepler, and Leibniz. The civilization called for changes in different parts of Europe and America than
“The French Revolution was period of far-reaching social and political upheaval in France and its colonies that lasted from 1789 until 1799. It was partially carried forward by Napoleon during the later expansion of the French Empire. The Revolution overthrew the monarchy, established a republic, catalyzed violent periods of political turmoil, and finally culminated in a dictatorship under Napoleon who brought many of its principles to areas he conquered in Western Europe and beyond.” (French Revolution,n.d.).
Enlightenment ideas of the 1700th inspired the third estate to revolt against absolute authority and the social class system of the Old Regime. The third estate were the lower class citizens who made up nearly ninety-seven percent of the French population during the time, most of which are discontent with their living conditions. They began to question the social structure with ideas from philosophers such as Rousseau and Voltaire. The citizens were especially influenced by the Enlightenment ideals of equality, democracy, and liberty. Using logic and reason, most of the third estate believed that people are naturally born equal and that they should not be subordinate to anyone in society. In addition, the Enlightenment also emphasized
The French Revolution was a period of social and political turmoil in France from 1789 to 1799 that greatly affected modern and French history. It marked the decline of powerful monarchies and the rise of democracy, individual rights and nationalism. This revolution came with many consequences because of the strive for power and wealth, but also had many influential leaders attempting to initiate change in the French government and the economy. In 1789 the people of France dismissed King Louis XVI of his title, took apart his monarchy and executed him, his wife Marie Antoinette and thousands of nobles. The French set up a new system of government with specific revolutionary ideals, including liberty, equality and fraternity. This was a
The French Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1789 was a traumatic movement that had an affect on both France and the world during the late 17th and early 18th century. This Revolution lasted from 1789 until 1814, for it made a large impact on the nation that caused a turning point in the history of the world. During this time, many events occurred like the executing of KIng Louis XIV and the rule of Napoleon.