French Revolution

Religion

French Revolution

The French Revolution and the resulting Reign of Terror were an attempt to create a government based on ideals from the enlightenment. Enlightenment thinkers were scientific, rather than romantic or metaphysical, and they believed everyone should be equal, and no one was above law or reproach. Many did not believe in God, but believed in scientific explanations for the creation of the universe and subsequent events. The attempt to create a democratic French government followed closely on the heels of the American Revolution, which many people felt was a great triumph of Enlightenment's ideals and values. The framers of the French Revolution were fighting the tyranny of a monarchy and for personal participation in government and lawmaking.

The French Revolution was an attempt to bring the people into government. At the time, the French monarchy was based on social levels (estates), much like English society, and most of the population did not have any power in government. In fact, the monarchy was absolute, and there was no way to challenge the king, and only a few elite individuals controlled the government. The rest of the population was either peasantry or bourgeois, and bourgeois was not content with the state of affairs. They had many grievances, such as freedom of religious belief, government positions open to more than just a few, and creation of a Parliament that would oversee law, were just a few.

The Enlightenment's ideals included freedom, democracy, equality for all, and of course, knowledge, and so, these ideals were very close to what many Frenchmen wanted to change in their country. Enlightenment thinkers were educated, scientific, and supported change, rather than following accepted ways of thinking and acting. The Revolution was based on these foundations.

Most of the revolutionaries had the best intentions, and truly hoped for revolutionary change for the better. Much of Europe still followed a semi-feudal way of life, and the revolutionaries recognized this was the way of the past, rather than the way of the future. Religious intolerance was also the order of the day, and since many Enlightenment proponents were also atheists, this is something they also wanted to change. Their ideals included happiness and fulfillment in this life, not the next, and they were optimistic and enthusiastic, perhaps to a fault.

In fact, the age of Enlightenment and its proponents were not the only participants in the French Revolution and Reign of Terror. The age of Enlightenment simply created a foundation for revolutionary thought and idealism. The atmosphere was ripe for change, and the French people were desperate for change. The ideals of the Enlightenment supported change and growth, and so, they were the perfect ideals to base a Revolution on.