Age of Enlightenment- New Political Ideas and Challenging Monarchy

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Age of Enlightenment- New Political Ideas and
Challenging Monarchy

• 1600-1770

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Thomas Hobbes

• Main Ideas
• Establishes the idea of a social contract- an
  agreement between the government and the people
• Wants government to have complete control-
  Leviathan
• Has a negative view of human nature- people are
  too corrupt to govern themselves
• Influence on History
• Social contract
• Continues to influence politicians that focus on
  maintaining order

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John Locke

• Main Ideas
• - Establishes the importance of natural
  rights - Positive view of human nature
• - Universal ability to reason people
• should be able to govern themselves
• Influence on History
• - Influences all of the Founding Fathers of
  the
• United States (Jefferson, Adams, Madison)
• - Natural rights --gt Declaration of
• Independence

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Lockes influence on the Founding Fathers

• We hold these truths to be self-evident, that
  all men are created equal, that they are endowed
  by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
  that among these are Life, Liberty, and the
  pursuit of Happiness.

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Political Spectrum
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Voltaire

• Main Ideas
• Wants a separation between Church and State- no
  theocracies
• Openly mocks monarchs, clergy, and politicians
• Candide is one of the most famous satirical works
  in history.
• Influence on History
• Influences the Bill of Rights- which preserve
  freedom of speech, thought and expression
• Reduces the amount of censorship by European
  Monarchs
• Encourages religious tolerance

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Current Examples of Political Satire
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Montesquieu

• Main Ideas
• Wanted a system of checks and balance
• Separation of power- no one person has too much
  power
• Influence on History
• Constitutions around world use the idea of
  separation of power
• French Revolution
• 3 Branches of U.S. government- system of checks
  and balance

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Rousseau

• Main Ideas
• Had a positive view of people
• The different parts of society corrupts the
  individual
• Wanted each individual person to participate in
  democracy
• Influence on History
• Direct democracy
• American and French Revolutions

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Common People participating in Revolutions
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Mary Wollstonecraft

• Main Ideas
• Supported womens rights
• Wanted gender equality for voting rights and
  property rights
• Influence / Long term effects
• Women eventually gain the right to vote and
  equality through laws