Finally, the philosophers of the Enlightenment and their liberal ideas played a crucial role in influencing the citizens of France to take defiant actions against their dictatorial king and corrupt government, so as to create a just and fair societal system. The Enlightenment, also called the Age of Reason, symbolizes a period when European philosophers stressed the use reason as the best method for learning the truth. Well known enlightenment identities like Voltaire, Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu wrote books that strongly inspired the people with revolutionary ideas of liberty and equality, and not only questioned current ideology, but also challenged authority, such as the monarchy and the Church. Voltaire advocated freedom of religion,
