The Enlightenment s Influence On The French Revolution

Maheera Syed The Enlightenment’s Influence on the French Revolution No one could have imagined the impact that the Enlightenment would have and its long-lasting effect. The Enlightenment and its ideas became so widespread that they did not only affect France, but many other countries also. The French Revolution was directly inspired and influenced by the Enlightenment. Revolutionaries in France built their cause around the ideals of the Age of Reason. Reason, reform and modernity took hold mainly in Germany, Great Britain and of course, France. The Enlightenment was not able to permeate the small middle class in Austria, Italy, Poland-Lithuania, Spain and Russia because their governments were easily able to suppress any new ways of†¦show more content†¦Hatred can have severe implications. Bothered by a government and monarchy that did not seem to be concerned with its people and their rights, the people had to take a stand of their own. As Kant wrote, they no longer wanted to be â€Å"minors.† They wanted to overcome â€Å"laziness and cowardice† and free themselves from â€Å"external guidance† (Kant, par. 2). France stood as the center for the Enlightenment because it was in a constant dichotomy between â€Å"the desire to censor dissident ideas and the desire to appear open to modernity and progress† (Hunt, 4098). Parliament hindered the monarchy’s reform efforts by using their own words of Enlightenment influence against them. This was a paradox that showed how the Enlightenment affected all levels of French life, but was applied to achieve different results. While the American Revolution and the resulting new republic was regarded as a successful application of the Enlightenment, the unstable, failed attempts at change and reformation in France led to early signs of revolution as revolts â€Å"in the name of liberty† from 1787-1789. Initially, revolutionaries attempted to establish a constitutional monarchy based on human rights and a rational government, principles they had acquired from the Enlightenment. After the fall of the Bastille in 1789 and the Great Fear which granted freedom to serfs, eliminated taxation privileges, and also led to equal opportunities in government positions, theShow MoreRelatedTo What Extent Was The Enlightenment The Main Driving Force Behind The American And French Revolutions?1479 Words   |  6 Pagesfocuses on the causes of Atlantic Revolutions and will explore the question: To what extent was the Enlightenment the main driving force behind the American and French Revolutions? 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