Responses to 18th Century Enlightenment and French Revolution

French Revolution

Enlightenment

The enlightenment was one of the most interesting times in history. In this period there was a considerable amount of philosophical inquiry being devoted to challenging traditional worldviews. Intellectuals began to investigate different forms of state power and questioning what rights people should be given simply because they were human. These were referred to as natural rights and John Locke's version includes the naturally acquired right for everyone to have "life, liberty, and property." These concepts have provided much of the foundation for the same principles that guide the Western world today. The rights that were identified in this period protected the citizens from extreme forms of despotic rule and provided a path for the creation of varying levels self-government in which people began to have a say in the creation and maintenance of authority.

French Revolution

While the enlightenment provided the philosophical frameworks and forms of inquiry that revolutionized thought, the French Revolution is where many of these concepts were largely put into practice. This was a major social and political shift and previously many of the kings and rulers believed, at least claimed that they derived their power to rule directly from God himself. This was a hard position to overcome in the development of humanity. Challenging someone that believed that their power came directly from God could have severe implications for the challenger. It wasn't until a momentum of rationalism began to take foot that there was enough of a foundation for citizens to begin to question the power of their rulers. However when enough people began to organize themselves and challenge the traditional power structures they were able to create new systems of organization.

Spread of the Enlightenment