+ The Enlightenment: Ideas & Thinkers

+ Where Did It Come From? During the Renaissance, the Humanists valued the importance of the individual and the role each person had in society. In the 18 th century, philosophers explored this idea even more and wanted respect and equality for all men. They were very critical of governments and monarchs who wanted to keep all the power to themselves. This period became known as the Enlightenment.

+ Introduction The ideas of Enlightenment philosophers helped push people do believe that they could and should revolt against absolute powers Their ideas focused on 3 main concepts: The separation and division of power The sovereignty (power) of the people The freedom of belief

+ John Locke & Fundamental Rights English philosopher, John Locke (1632 – 1704) was a major figure of the Enlightenment He believed that all people were born free and equal and therefore, all people had fundamental rights: RIGHT TO LIFE RIGHT TO FREEDOM RIGHT TO OWN LAND RIGHT TO OWN PROPERTY

+ John Locke & Government John Locke wanted the government to be run on the idea of liberalism (based on the freedom of the individual) He wanted power to be in the hands of the people BUT, he believed that political institutions (like a Parliament) should represent the needs of the people rather than every individual actually having power In exchange for this power, the government/parliament should respect the fundamental rights of all citizens

+ Montesquieu & Separation of Power French philosopher, Baron de Montesquieu (1689 – 1755), believed that the power should be divided between the King and a series of other assemblies and/or councils: He believed that the King should have executive power (to apply laws) Smaller assemblies/councils should have legislative power (to make laws) and judicial power (ensuring laws are followed)

+ How do Montesquieu & Locke differ? They both disagree with the idea of an absolute monarchy BUT: Locke believes in a Parliamentary system (not necessarily requiring a King/Queen) Montesquieu believes in still having a King/Queen, but restricting their power by dividing it amongst other subgroups (assemblies/councils)

+ Rousseau & Sovereignty Genevan philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778) took Locke’s ideas even further He also believed that all people were created free and equal He also believed that sovereignty (power) should belong to people BUT for Rousseau, he argued that the government only has power if the people decide to allow the government to have power If the needs of the people are not met, according to Rousseau, the people had the right to revolt

+ Voltaire & Freedom of Belief French philosopher, Voltaire (1694 – 1778), believed that the government did not have the right to force the people to follow a specific religion He believed that individuals should have the right to believe whatever they want to believe

+ The Spread of Ideas Enlightenment philosophers thought it was very important for the people to be knowledgeable They wanted to spread their ideas and inform people of a wide variety of subjects Before this, education had only been accessible to the higher classes, but the Enlightenment philosophers wanted to bring it to everyone

+ Encyclopedias Denis Diderot, a French writer, philosopher, and his colleague Jean D’Alembert, a mathematician created the first encyclopedia It was known as: A systematic dictionary of the sciences, arts and crafts This text contained over 7000 articles in 28 volumes Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Voltaire all had articles in it

+ Other Publications Enlightenment philosophers also spread their ideas through other forms of print More and more commonly during this time different texts were being printed, including: Newspapers Leaflets Books Posters Newsletters

+ Reaching the People It was not always easy for ideas to be spread In France, for example, the King opposed the production of these texts Many had to be produced and circulated secretly to avoid punishment Famous writers like Voltaire, Diderot and Rousseau were all sent to jail for their ideas which were contrary to those of the Catholic Church

+ Influence of Ideas Regardless of attempts to control the spread of information, the thoughts and ideas of these philosophers spread across Europe and the world They would motivate revolutions in several countries, most notably FRANCE and the 13 COLONIES