The Age Of Enlightenment And Martin Luther's Reformation

The age of Enlightenment was a civilized era that dictated the eighteenth century’s ideological beliefs in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth century that later contributed to the modernization of today’s society. This newfound era was caused by the many fundamental discoveries of the scientific revolution in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. Scientists used the scientific method as a foundation to reveal, explore, and understand more about the actual meaning of life through subjects such as physics, astronomy, and biology; however, these advancements contradicted some of the ideas and knowledge of the church. This followed the Renaissance and Martin Luther’s Reformation when the government separated from the Catholic Church, forever …show more content…
Therefore, Montesquieu developed this ideal in the belief “when the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty.” Meaning that liberty would never be established if one person or monarch controlled all of the power. He then would later develop a new system of government that would be known in today’s society as a democracy. Where the “combine moderate powers” of government could be seen in separate branches; hence the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches. These branches were to have equal and different powers to ensure no one branch was more powerful than another. Montesquieu believed in a check and balance system of powers because of the many absolute monarchies that were established all over Europe and during his era of history many of the rulers were failing to grant essential resources to their citizens. Leading to the people taking matters into their own hands and they declared their rulers to commit to new constitutions. These new constitutions would establish that all the powers of government would be separated and to limit the monarch’s power over the people; setting society on the path towards …show more content…
The Constitutions were the English Bill of Rights, the United States Constitution, and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. All of these documents can show historians how a society function and which class of people benefitted the most. By historians reading and deciphering these constitutions they were able to recognize that all of these documents were influenced by Baron de Montesquieu’s ideal of separation of powers. Which is clearly shown in today’s society through governments of Great Britain (the English), the United States of America (the Americans), and France (the French). Great Britain obtains a parliamentary system, which the powers of government were given in a bicameral legislative branch called parliament, that consist of the House of Lords and House of Commons. The United States of America had a tripartite system where the powers of government were given to three branches of government that were constantly in checks and balances with each other. Lastly, France has a democracy were like America they have a tripartite system but differ when the president appoints a prime minister, whose position can be impeached by the National Assembly through a hearing. With everything in mind, the