Political Thinkers

Objective: Explain how the ideas from the Enlightenment impacted social, political, and economic

systems and institutions.(Explain how the ideas from the Enlightenment changed government systems-Absolute Monarchy to Democracy)

French Thinkers

» The works of Locke and Hobbes set the stage for later development.

» During the 1700s in France, Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Diderot, Beccaria, and Wollstonecraft carried the ideas of new government structures further.

» Although these men shared a desire to reform society, they differed in their views of what needed to be done.

» In France, Enlightenment thinkers were called philosophes, or philosophers.

Voltaire

Part 1

Voltaire

» Published essays, plays, and works of fiction that reflected Enlightenment ideals

» Believed in religious toleration and deism» Deism is the belief that God made the universe

and left it to be ruled by natural law» Seeking social and political reform, Voltaire

often used humor to attack the laws and customs of France

Voltaire

» His targets were the Roman Catholic Church, the powerful aristocracy, and the monarchy.

» Often, Voltaire disguised his criticism in works of fiction.

» Not surprisingly, his writings got him in trouble with the government.

» During the course of his career, Voltaire was imprisoned in the Bastille and exiled from his native France for many years.

Voltaire

» Tolerance» Reason» Freedom of religious belief» Freedom of speech» “I do not agree with a word you say but will

defend to the death your right to say it”

Montesquieu

Montesquieu

» Studied governments of ancient Rome and closely examined the contemporary governments of France and England

» Concluded England had the best government because it balanced the powers of competing groups in society

» The English government divided power among three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

» Separation of Powers

Montesquieu

» Each branch had control the others through a system of checks and balances.

» Asserted a government with divided powers was a government of limited powers.

» A government of limited powers was less likely to violate the natural rights of its citizens.

» Later became basis for United States Constitution

Rousseau

Part 2

Rousseau

» Individual Freedom» Civilization corrupted peoples’ natural goodness» “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”» Only good government was one freely formed by

the people and guided by the ‘general will’ of society—a direct democracy

» Under such a government, people agree to give up some of their freedom in favor of the common good

Rousseau

» Social Contract: it was an agreement among free individuals to create a society and a government

» Legitimate government came from the consent of the governed (Like Locke)

» Inspired many leaders of the French Revolution

Diderot

Diderot

» Helped spread Enlightenment ideas throughout Europe and the American colonies with his multivolume Encyclopedia

» The Encyclopedia included articles written by scholars, philosophers, and scientists.

» Hoped this huge work would summarize all theoretical and actual knowledge

Diderot

» Goal in editing the Encyclopedia was to change the way people thought

» Many articles criticized the Roman Catholic Church and supported religious toleration (freedom)

» Other articles advanced the Enlightenment idea of social reform

Diderot

» The Roman Catholic Church and the French government condemned the Encyclopedia and tried to censor it

» The church did not like challenges to its authority» The monarchy did not like radical new ideas about

government and the rights of the governed (people or citizens)

» Even so, approximately 20,000 copies of the Encyclopedia (a very large number for that time) were printed and distributed

Beccaria

Beccaria

» Promotes criminal justice» Italian» Believed laws existed to preserve social order,

not to avenge crimes» Regularly criticized common abuses of justice» Including: torturing witnesses and suspects,

irregular proceedings in trials, and punishments that were arbitrary or cruel

Beccaria

» Argued that a person accused of a crime should receive a speedy trial, and that torture should never be used

» The degree of punishment should be based on the seriousness of the crime

» Believed capital punishment should be abolished

Beccaria

» Beccaria based his ideas about justice on the principle that governments should seek the greatest good for the greatest number of people

» His ideas influenced criminal law reformers in Europe and North America

» 8th Amendment-outlaws unusual and cruel punishment

Wollstonecraft

Wollstonecraft

» Philosophes or philosophers (Enlightenment thinkers) often took traditional view of women

» Rousseau, for example, developed many progressive ideas about education

» However, he believed that a girl’s education should mainly teach her how to be a helpful wife and mother

» Other male social critics scolded women for reading novels because they thought it encourage idleness and wickedness

» Still, some male writers argued for more education for women and for women’s equality in marriage

Wollstonecraft

» Disagreed with Rousseau that women’s education should be secondary to men’s

» Need education to become virtuous (moral) and useful

» Urged women to enter the male-dominated fields of medicine and politics

Wollstonecraft

» Other women made important contributions to the Enlightenment in other ways: In Paris and other European cities, wealthy women helped spread Enlightenment ideas through social gatherings called salons

Legacy of the Enlightenment

» Belief in Progress-new discoveries in science, human reason could solve social problems, reformers urged an end to slavery and argued for greater social equality, as well as a more democratic style of government

Legacy of the Enlightenment

» A more secular outlook-non-religious» People began to question openly their religious

beliefs and the teachings of the church

Legacy of the Enlightenment

» Importance of the Individual-the rise of individualism

» Looked to themselves for guidance» Use your own ability to reason in order to

judge what was right or wrong» Emphasized the importance of the individual

in society» Government, they argued, was formed by

individuals to promote their welfare