Asses the view that the Enlightenment was the most important cause of the French Revolution? The Enlightenment was an 18th century philosophical movement in Europe that stressed the importance of reason in analysing and investigating. This led to a critical review of existing ideas and social institutions and how they could be changed and improved, through the use of reason. In this period of time a lot of people were becoming more aware of social, economic and political interactions. The idea of monarchy was becoming a disappointing plan.
Enlightenment thinkers began to revolutionize the way of thinking around the world, particularly in France and America, changing the ways people thought about life during the late eighteenth century. The American Revolution began by the reason of taxation without representation. The French aided the Americans in their war, evoking ideas that France should have equality and justice as well. On the account of the Americans did influence France, their revolutions had many comparable qualities, as well as opposing characteristics. Both regions had several things in common, such as unjust rulers and desire of equality and freedom for peasants and nobles, although they had major differences on how they went about winning their revolution and what they were fighting for.
Small though it be, it will make many mistakes, because it will be composed of men. Discord will reign there” (Democracy, Voltaire). His opinions on the pursuit of progress with abandon were that progress should be sought after but not without humanity and rationale in mind. He would not have wanted progress to be had on the sacrifice of human rights or the loss of rationality. He was somebody who “believed in progress and in the virtues of civilization, contrary to Rousseau’s belief that civilization corrupts man” (Voltaire, New World Encyclopedia).
Professor Staples 9/21/11 Essay 1 The “French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen” was approved by the National assembly of France in August 1789. Through this document one can clearly see the significance of the immense social and intellectual forces, which influenced the French Revolution because they destroyed the old older and brought a set of new ideas upon the world that, were dangerously powerful. These dynamic forces were crafted through the works of the enlightenment and the new ways of thinking which profoundly changed the nature of politics itself. The enlightenment caused the old rigid political and social system to face the wrath of new political ideas and economic realities which in turn caused the French Revolution by giving birth to a new world view. The enlightenment unleashed upon the people a set of complex ideas of rationalism, secularism, a Newtonian world view and many other leading European intellectuals idea’s which can all be portrayed right in the document itself.
They were just fighting because they wanted to reform their government. But for America it was much more than fighting to reform their government. It was about fighting to part ways with Britain. It was about fighting for independence. France wasn’t part of the colonies like America was, America was sick of being treated badly, and unfairly so they decided to fight.
Francois’ Candide, bashed the Christian power among many other things and was seen as a major contributor to the idealists of the Enlightenment. Voltaire was able to utilize Candide to demonstrate the most prominent issues of the Enlightenment period such as the hubris of nobility, how optimism and rationality is able to lessen the evils rendered by humans and criticize the revolution itself simultaneously. Even though the symbol of optimism is a key focus of satire in Candide, Voltaire did make sure that he pointed out the flaws of so called “Nobility” and its need of change in the new Enlightenment age. Voltaire ridiculed the nobles, along with their beliefs, showing readers that the previous way of nobility was arrogant and showed how change of this thought was important in the enlightenment period. Voltaire displayed this idea primarily through two main characters in Candide; the first was with Don Fernando and second was with Cunegund and her family.
1) Evaluate the ways in which the different approaches to Enlightenment held by France, Britain, and America impacted their own societies. Thesis: The extreme and different approach of to Enlightenment of the French alienated it from the British and Americans, and also led to the destruction of the country. Both America and Britain had a moderate reform, while the French had an extreme upheaval that led to its ruin. All three Enlightenments were based on the same concepts of reason, liberty and justice. Britain built their Enlightenment on ‘social virtues’, not reason.
To what extent was Pitts repressive policies the main reason for his success in defeating the radical challenge in 1801? Outside of parliament and of the rich and powerful there were many people who wanted change; the French revolution had a profound and ongoing effect on political, social, and religious life and on the government in Britain. Many people wanted to see the changes that were occurring in France to happen in Britain, as many of the working class people were not happy with there role in society and they wanted reform. Pitt acted quickly against the threat posed by the radicals, the new societies and the publications they produced, this was known as Pitts ‘reign on terror’. Fresh legislation restricting freedom of speech, writing and assembly was passed from 1792 to 1801, to reinforce these new laws the yeomanry were called in to reinforce these new laws.
The Disdain of Total Equality Total equality may seem fair and justifiable in the eyes of some people, but in many cases it turns out to be little more than a form of oppression, in which a group of people limit the abilities of others. Throughout the story Vonnegut speaks of this necessity for equality and the means that the government goes to achieve it by using devices called ‘handicaps’; one example of this is George’s earpiece, “A buzzer sounded in George’s head. His thoughts fled in panic, like bandits from a burglar alarm.” Vonnegut’s simile here creates a sort of loud diction, which expresses the sheer discomfort invoked by these restraints on the person wearing them. The governing body in this society views this as the solution to a problem, one that happens to be relatively impossible to solve, this is how Vonnegut incorporates satire into his story. He is poking fun at the age old concept of ‘equality,’ one that has inspired wars and movements alike; he accomplishes this by creating a system to make everyone equal, a system that happens to be just as stupid as the idea of ‘total equality.’ Under this system equality is achieved, but it is at the cost of individual freedom and a society full of stupid people, this in-turn creates the situational irony found in the story.
Other Europeans, especially the French, really liked the new empiricism and the idea of English liberties embodied in the Bill of Rights. One French intellectual, Voltaire, tried to spread empiricism and religious toleration further. He introduced the idea that most inhumane crimes are committed in the name of religion, and he ridiculed superstition and the French witch trials. He spent time in England and fell in love with its political system, especially the idea of freedom of speech. (If anyone who has taken the “Age of Enlightenment” with Dr. Smith, or who is just interested in this subject, wants to tell us more about Voltaire on the “Informal Discussion” board, please feel free.)