There were four enlightenment thinkers that really helped change the world’s thoughts on how a country should be ruled. These philosophes included Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Voltaire. Locke thought people were born with three natural birth rights; life, liberty, and property. Locke’s philosophy was that the ruler of a country should not be allowed to take those rights away from people. Montesquieu brought forth the idea that there should be a separation of powers. There should be three branches of government; executive, legislative, and judicial instead of an absolute monarch. These branches should oversee each others job to make sure no one was unjustly using their authority. Rousseau then had the idea that people should have a social
