He declared how all men are born with inalienable rights: life, liberty, and property. John Locke expressed how the main purpose of a government was to protect these inalienable rights. The French Revolution was also influenced by Enlightenment ideals. The motto of the French Revolution “Liberté, égalité, fraternité” (liberty, equality, and fraternity) originates from Enlightenment ideals, in regards to equality and liberty. The Haitian Revolution was heavily influenced by the Enlightenment.
According to the text, the first stage of the French Revolution was based totally on the liberty to succeed, own, and compete. Next, the second stage of the revolution took on equality to rally their troops, which was also the revolution of the working people in the French cities. In fact the French adapted a national motto for brotherhood which was Liberte’, elgalite, fraternite…which is French for Liberty, equality, and fraternity. The debates on the compatibility of the three terms as well as their order began at the same time of the French Revolution. France was known as what is called an absolute monarchy in which King Louis XVI had complete control over the nation.
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.
The Democratic-Republicans sought to limit federal control and preferred local power as the dominant force. Chiefly, the emergence of the American two-party system arose from strongly opposed political views, but also developed out of experience and a struggle for power. As previously stated, the main reason for the development of the party system in the United States, or any political party for that matter, is a difference in beliefs on how a government should be operated. The Federalists, formed by Alexander Hamilton – Washington’s Treasury Secretary – in 1794, favored federalism with government having the power to control commerce, tax, declare war, and make treaties among other powers.
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.
He believed that man inherently had an understanding of goodness. He believed in the Tabula rasa, which is a philosophical theory that individuals are born with a blank mind and knowledge comes from their experiences and perception of society . This ‘blank slate’ can be proven in many civilizations, an easy example is comparing Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. They were both born in Europe, during different times. Thomas Hobbes was writing his philosophy when England was in the midst of its civil wars, whereas John Locke was writing at the time of the debate that led to the Glorious Revolution of 1688 .
Another significant intellectual idealist with whom his ideas was evident in the declaration of France and greatly influenced the French Revolution was Rousseau. His idea of the social contract and general will of the people can be found in number six of the declaration of France . This idea was so paramount because it said the government must obey the general will of the people and takes general will over individual rights. It allows for government to be created for a general will rather than divine right. The French Revolution expanded mass participation for the general will of the people in political life and radicalized the democratic tradition which was inherited from the English and American experiences
Each branch represents a different aspect of the people, and because all three branches are equal, no one group can assume control over another. A listing of rights can be a dangerous thing. If the national government were to protect specific listed rights, what would stop it from violating rights other than the listed ones? Since we can't list all the rights, the Federalists argued that it's better to list none at all. Unlike the Anti-Federalists, most Federalists were wealthy, well-educated, and unified by the desire for a powerful, centralized government.
Absolutism Cardinal Richelieu was a political advisor to Louis XIII. His powerful leadership as Frances first minister helped the country to become a one of the most powerful in Europe. He made sound political decisions or at least to the opinion of Louis XIV. Cardinal Richelieu believed that for France to have a significant European state, Louis XIV must rule as an absolutist. Cardinal Richelieu also helped Louis XIV gain control of France by ceasing the rebellion of the Huguenots and stripping them of all of their political and military power.
1This theory postulated a new political and social principle, which held that relations among individuals in a society, and between individuals and government, are governed by a social contract. Some if its chief proponents –John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau – have been widely published and discussed in the learned journals and the ideas of these philosophers. Certainly the ideas of Locke and his contemporaries strongly influenced the political and moral philosophies of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison. And other architects of American government. The antecedents of the theory of social contract can be traced back to Aristotle, who distinguished between monarch and tyrant and upheld the right