Enlightenment Participation in the French Revolution According to Edmund Broke, the people who were responsible for the French revolution are the French Enlightenment philosophers. This argument was elaborated and taken up by various historians such as Lord Acton and Tocqueville. There were some ideas that were suggested by the philosophers. These ideas included the collapse of some old the régime that that had consequences of various factors such as social unrest, economic problems, and some conflicting ambitions of various conflicting individuals and groups. However, in the revolution that was unfolding was affected by various factors such as what was said and thought, as well as what was being advocated. These factors were expressed through various categories that came from the enlightenment of the political theorists (Baker & Keith Michael 59). The theorists were however not ready to share their ideas. However, this fact did not animate the French revolution through a revolutionary program. The French revolution was made through series of phases, unlike the American and English revolutions. Each phase has amounted to a revolution that repudiated the revolutionists who were making one policy to adopt another (Baker & Keith Michael 96). These …show more content…
This dream involved the devolvement of a large share of sovereignty. This dream was considered unrealistic in May 1789 at a meeting of the estate generals. The orders that were privileged were proven more eager as they were to hold on to the privileges rather than acceding to the powers that Montesquieu wished that he had. Instead, the less privileged groups were the groups that were represented in the third estate. These groups included the common people who demanded shares in the sovereignty of their nation using a crown (Goodman & Dena
Most political decisions were taken by the king that the French population had no say in. Also, the Enlightenment philosophers spread ideas for change. These critics of society shared ideas against the church, government, taxes, etc. People all over began to learn about these ideas and became educated about the possible changes that could be
The American Revolution, French Revolution, and seventeenth-century English revolutions were similar in the aspects of governmental systems, influences from European philosophies and religion, and military forces. Alike in opposition, each revolution had a desire to revolt due to poor ruling monarchies and lack of progression. All their attempts to topple the monarch power were to establish a new governing system. While doing so, each revolution was influenced by the emerging philosophy of Europe, the Age of Enlightenment. The Age of Enlightenment brought to light on the importance of liberty and rights of common people.
Have you ever wondered how a king can be so terrible that his own people want him dead? The French Revolution stemmed from people's demands that were influenced by Enlightenment ideals. These ideals were the positions and thoughts the Enlightenment philosophers supported. With the influence of Enlightenment ideals people wanted more. John Locke, an English philosopher, had ideas that influenced revolutions, more notably, the French Revolution.
There were also many new ideas that were being developed and shared with the public. There were many roots of this event. The French Revolution was caused by the mistreatment of the third estate, the American Revolution, and by the Enlightenment. One of the elements that contributed to the commencement of the French Revolution was the mistreatment of the third estate. Life was rough for everyone
In 1765 the American Revolution begin. How did we get here? The enlightenment, so what is the enlightenment. The enlightenment was a philosophical movement, where great ideas came that influenced many revolutions later on. The important major philosophers were Thomas Hobbes, he believed people were selfish and needed a strong government was needed for example a monarchy.
The Enlightenment gave way to new ideas about the natural born rights of citizens and equality, and fueled the concept of liberalism. In document four, The French Revolution by Albert Mathiez, the author stated that the Revolution was accomplished in men’s minds before it actually came to fruition. The ideas that helped the men accomplish this were the ideas of the Enlightenment, proving that this time period helped cause the French Revolution. Another main concept of the Enlightenment was the concept of immutable laws of nature, and in document six, Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution, these laws are used as evidence to support the idea that the Third Estate is everything. The belief that the Third Estate was a crucial part of the French society was what fueled the Revolution, furthering the idea that the Enlightenment helped lead to the French Revolution.
While the French Revolution began in 1789, ideas and inequalities started long before the fighting. The French had recently helped with the American Revolution, with their quest to reach freedom from the British. This helped spark ideas that were already there. The French people, mostly the third class, realized that they were being treated unfairly and that they could do something about it. The French Revolution was caused due to many occurring factors over a period of time, whether it be poor leadership by King Louis XVI, inequality of the third estate, or past ideas such as the Enlightenment, which inspired the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen.
The causes of the American and French Revolutions have several parallels as well as a few differences.
Montesquieu influenced the constitution section three by stating “ The Vice President of the United States shall be president of the senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided.” This how's Montesquieu division of power belief among the government and preventing an absolute monarch. Article one of the Constitution states “All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a senate government by showing that the legislative branch will consist of a senate and House of Representatives. This shows Montesquieu belief of separation of power in the Section ten of the Constitution is influenced by Montesquieu by stating “ No state shall, without the consent of Congress” which shows they can't do anything without consent from Congress. Article V of the Constitution states “ The juhe separation of power that Montesquieu believed in and this is shown by stating that judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one supreme court, and in such inferior court as the congress may from time to time ordain and establish.
These new ideas played as a catalyst to acts of resistance, or in a broader retrospect, the French Revolution.
The French Revolution and Latin American Revolution both followed the pattern of: citizens became dissatisfied with government, moderates gaining more power, radicals taking over, and then entering a period of acceptance. France was divided into three estates. The third estate
Thus, Philosophes like Voltaire, Rousseau, John Locke and Montesquieu, created new ideas about the different types of possible governments and societies, such as human rights, citizenship, & democracy. Eventually, these ideas began spreading throughout France. Similarities between the French and Haitian Revolution: In France, the Enlightenment helped influence the French Revolution because the third estate, noticed that their basic right wasn’t being met. Specifically, the bourgeoisie, which was the growing merchant/professional class were well educated and familiar with the writings of philosophes like Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau.
Unit 2: Absolutism and Revolution Portfolio In this unit, you examined the American and French Revolutions. The American Revolution, sparked by conflict over British rule and influenced by Enlightenment ideas, broke colonial ties with a monarchy and yielded a new nation. The French Revolution, inspired by the American Revolution as well as the Enlightenment, freed French citizens from an absolute monarchy and secured equality before the law for all male citizens.
The French Revolution all began after people in France decided it was time to fight for their rights and freedom and escape the tyranny that took place and give the people more power. At the time King Louis XVI was the French king and had power from 1774 to 1792 and was later executed in 1793. In France, the people were divided into three separate social estates, clergy, nobility, and the commoner as the lowest and the highest above all of course would be the king. The Enlightenment was a movement by intellectuals who promoted reason and science, and they began to question the system in place at the time in France and they began to spread revolutionary ideas that got people thinking about change. The “French Revolution was influenced by Enlightenment ideals” and when the ideas began to spread people were newly educated about something they never thought about, and after
The French Revolution was undoubtedly influenced by the political theorists of the Enlightenment. The ideas of two French political theorists in particular are easily seen throughout the French Revolution, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Baron Montesquieu. Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s thoughts and texts, such as the Social Contract, instilled the entitlement of basic human rights to all men. Rousseau’s concepts on rights combined with Baron Montesquieu’s ideas on government provided the backbone of a radical movement in the French Revolution known as the Terror. When one delves into the beginnings of the French Revolution, the motives and actions of the National Assembly, and the Terror of the French Revolution, one can obviously see the influence of two Enlightenment political theorists, Rousseau and Montesquieu.