How Did The Enlightenment Influence The French Revolution

The Enlightenment of the seventeenth and eighteenth century was a movement made international that was in opposition of religious dogmatism and fanaticism. The Enlightenment had given opportunity for scientific thinking, independent from the influences of religion. At its core was the idea of looking to nature and the natural order for deriving knowledge. As a defence against religious conflicts in Europe, Enlightenment thinkers supported concepts of religious tolerance and freedom. Their stress for rights of man and intellectual freedom is reflected in their enlightened ideas and these ideas subsequently influenced writers of France at this time. The igniting of the revolution would not have occurred without the influence of the political leaders of France that used enlightened ideas and writings to influence the masses. Through evocative speeches and calls for rebellion against the monarchy and estate system, people were made revolutionaries, pursuing reform. Furthermore, the revolutionaries who advocated the calls for reform and supported enlightened ideas and took steps towards initiating reforms through forceful means. Ultimately, the French revolution was the logical conclusion of years of the plight of peasantry, the three estates and the incompetency of the monarchy, igniting it through the influences of the Enlightenment.
Montesquieu argues a system of Checks and Balances which can be seen taking in America under James Madison and in Britain's constitutional monarchy. During the French Revolution it can also be seen through his criticism of monarchical system and