The Rise Of The Enlightenment - 1577 Words

In the midst of darkness, the people of France saw a beacon of hope when the Enlightenment gave them a glimpse of how great their life could be. The Enlightenment was a collection of ideas from various philosophers in Europe to question old views of society and use reason to create a better society. The enlightenment ideas focused on the people and their needs, prompting for governments to protect people’s basic rights to liberty, life, and equality. France, at the time, was suffering under the weak leadership of King Louis XVI, which created turmoil in all of France. In addition, there was bad blood between the three estates due to the fact that the top two estates held the most power despite only making up three percent of the population. Fed up with the monarchy and the disparity between the different estates, the people of France joined together in a revolution to create a better country that fulfilled their needs and demands. To achieve success, the people of France neede d to stay true to their cause throughout the revolution and not infringe the basic rights of others. The French Revolution hoped to change the political and social status of France through enlightened ideas but failed to do so in every aspect. The French Revolution was influenced by John Locke’s enlightened idea of creating a society where the decisions are made by the people and not one authoritative leader, however they failed in achieving that goal. When the three Estates joined together to form theShow MoreRelatedRise of Nazism and Enlightenment Thought2086 Words   |  9 PagesHIST215 – Later Modern Europe,1789-1939 Assessment Task One Research Essay The rise and subsequent take-over of power in Germany by Hitler and the Nazi Party in the early 1930s was the culmination and continuation not of Enlightenment thought from the 18th and 19th century but the logical conclusion of unstable and cultural conditions that pre-existed in Germany. 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