The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement that reached its peak in the mid-1700s when many philosophers began reevaluating their past ways of thinking. One of the most powerful countries at the time was France. Even though the rest of the world praised their robust trading system and culture, they still faced significant problems within the government such as high taxes towards only certain groups of the population. These effects led to the revolution where thousands of poorer French citizens fought for radical change in the feudal system. Modern Enlightenment ideas in Europe had a huge influence on the French Revolution, especially leading up to it. The Third Estate was successful in gaining power over higher classes made up of clergy …show more content…
It was a period of violence that opposed the ideas that most Enlightenment philosophers believed in. New views from the Enlightenment began spreading rapidly in France amongst the Third Estate. They became more educated, finally questioning the rule of absolute monarchs after years of injustice. One of the main causes that fueled the rebellion was the weak leadership of King Louis XVI. France was already in a financial debt crisis and he attempted to solve this by recklessly forcing increased tax rates on the Third Estate. Meanwhile, he and his wife Marie Antoinette continued spending money on themselves. A famous scholar named Montesquieu said, “To be great, one has to stand with people, not above them” (Doc 5). This quote expresses that, a remarkable ruler, must consider the input of others which closely resembles a democracy. It aligns with the ideas of the Enlightenment …show more content…
Robespierre, who was the leader of the Jacobins, seemed to slowly steer away from forming a democratic government. He was responsible for 17,000 deaths in the Reign of Terror. 12,000 of those killings were executed using the Guillotine device. The political cartoon shows the Jacobins celebrating the death of the French citizens with alcohol. It has a burning globe in the center of the picture as well (Doc 3). They look oddly cheerful and probably were not aware of the effects that it left on the world. Robespierre built fear within the country, executing the victims publicly and making it clear that it could happen to anyone that spoke out against him. Enlightenment ideas stated that authority over people is tyrannical unless it is absolutely necessary (Doc 5). In this case, Robespierre did not have a specific reason behind such harsh punishments. It was taken too far to the point where signs of absolutism are seen again. He then tries to justify his actions exclaiming that although rights were important, there needs to be boundaries to prevent people from doing whatever they want (Doc 1). Robespierre had the right intentions but it could have been better thought out. The Enlightenment emphasizes how the government’s job should be to protect the rights of the people in the country. Instead, the Reign of Terror resulted in the devastating loss of