Introduction to Enlightenment Thought and the French Revolution
The Enlightenment grew popular throughout Europe during the 18th century. To its supporters, the Enlightenment was much more than a philosophy; it was a way of thinking that stemmed from faith in human reason and progress. Enlightenment thought was the culmination of many scientific advances such as Isaac Newton’s laws of gravity and writings from Europe’s most famous thinkers. These supporters believed that humankind was coming out of ages of darkness and superstition. They foresaw a future where all people were educated and free and liberty reigned as the supreme law of the land. Pamphlets, essays and newspapers filled the streets of Europe all forwarding a new and brighter era – The Age of Reason.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½
Enlightened thinkers believed that through reason humanity could advance into a new and wonderful world. These thinkers lived in many different countries and came from many different backgrounds. The most famous Enlightenment thinker was a Frenchman with the very long name of Jean Francois-Marie Arouet to which he later added Voltaire. This writer, playwright, poet and scientist was a friend to kings and queens all across Europe. Voltaire often used humor and ridicule to criticize those he did not agree with, and was the most admired and feared writer of the 18th century. Voltaire’s main enemy was the church, which he believed was corrupt and stifled the freedom of thought.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½
Another famous thinker of this era was John Locke. Locke lived in England and believed that humans were born completely free of personality or character. “Let us suppose the mind to be, as we say, white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas,” Locke proposed in one of his numerous essays on the subject. Locke believed that experience and observation created knowledge, and his ideas supported Enlightenment thought. He believed that if attitude and character could be taught than humanity could be shaped into a whole new form of society; one based on justice and reason.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½
Many other great thinkers, writers and scientists preached the ideas of the Enlightenment. These philosophes included Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin who brought Enlightenment ideals into the American Revolution. Across the ocean, many Europeans watched as America fought against what it considered the unjust rule of Britain. When the Americans won the war, they set up a government based upon Enlightenment ideas. Instead of a monarchy (a government ruled by a un-elected leader such as a king or queen), the Americans created a government where leaders were chosen by the people. To many Europeans living under the rule of a king or queen, the American Revolution served as an example of the success of Enlightenment thought. Nowhere was this message better received than in France.�¯�¿�½
France in the late 1700s was not a very happy place to be. Most of the French people lived in deep poverty and had very little say in their government. France’s king, Louis XVI, had problems of his own. The country was deeply in debt (partly from helping the Americans in the Revolutionary War). Louis tried to fix this problem by increasing taxes. While this may have seemed like a good idea, most of the wealthiest people were not forced to pay taxes. Instead, the burden feel to the poor who already struggled to feed their families.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½
Louis was not a bad person, but he was a bad king. He did very little to help the suffering of his people. In fact, his wife Marie Antoinette lived a very lavish life. She often bought three or four very expensive dresses a week, and one of her favorite pastimes was gambling away large amounts of the king’s money – money he took straight from the almost empty treasury.
Beneath the king and queen was a small upper class of extremely wealthy nobles. They had very little purpose and spent their time living in luxury while the average citizens suffered great poverty. Thomas Jefferson, who once served as an American ambassador to France, described the state of the French people when he commented, “out of a population of twenty millions of people supposed to be in FranceâÂ?¦there are nineteen millions more wretched, more accursed in every circumstance of human existence, than the most conspicuously wretched individual of the whole United States.” It was in these circumstances that the Enlightenment thrived.Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½
The American Revolution proved to many people in France that the philosophy of Enlightenment could create an ideal government, and the philosophy became very popular among all classes of the French people. Using Enlightenment theories, they began to loudly criticize their government and ruling class. Eventually, this discontent would spawn the French Revolution.
The French Revolution was caused by many factors including: mass suffering and starvation, unbearable taxes, a careless and extravagant upper class and a weak king. The Enlightenment philosophy gave the suffering people of France something to believe in. It spoke of justice, freedom and reason when they had none. More than anything, the Enlightenment sparked a massive awakening that would lead to the cry of liberty, equality and fraternity.�¯�¿�½
Like King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and thousands of other French citizens, the Age of Enlightenment died at the hands of the guillotine (a device used to chop off the heads of French prisoners during the revolution.) What began as a philosophy of reason and justice ended in waves of blood and terror. Other kings and queens of Europe, fearful for their lives, quickly stifled�¯�¿�½
Enlightenment ideas and writings, and the philosophy soon faded into history.�¯�¿�½
Though the Age of Enlightenment came to an end, its ideas continue to influence current culture. Encouragement of scientific achievement, reason and progress is as true today as it was all those years ago. Perhaps most importantly, the fight for equality and justice continues to this day all over the world.�¯�¿�½
Introductory books Berlin, Isaiah. The Age of Enlightenment. New York: Meridian, 1984. Corzine, Phyllis. The French Revolution. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1995. Dupre, Louis. The Enlightenment & the Intellectual Foundations of Modern Culture. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004. Gilbert, Adrian. The French Revolution. New York: Thomson Learning, 1995. Hills, Ken. The French Revolution. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 1988.
