The Enlightenment
The Philosophes Intellectual center- France Human progress was possible through the steady and unrestricted expansion of knowledge An elite, hereditary minority inspired the American and French Revolutions
The Philosophes Montesquieu- Diderot’s Encyclopedia Voltaire Different countries needed different types of government Separation of powers based on the British form Diderot’s Encyclopedia Collecting all the knowledge of every nation and putting into one book Voltaire Human ability to comprehend the universe Religion is weakness
Democracy The Philosophes did not believe in democracy Rather a shared power with a strong monarch at the center Jean-Jacques Rousseau Repressive tyranny of the majority