1. The Enlightenment

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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