Voltaire

The American Revolution and the French Revolution were both based on Enlightenment standards. The Enlightenment was a time where thinkers began to question ideals, religion and ethics (Modern World History, ch. 1, sec. 1) The American Revolution had a great influence on the French Revolution because Frenchmen that assisted George Washington returned to France and began to spread, “Liberal philosophies of the American experience throughout France” which inspired the need for change in France…

Moliere’s Tartuffe: Society’s portrait of the Enlightenment Era Moliere’s Tartuffe narrates the paradoxical story of a clever impostor who, pretending religious devotion and friendship, enters into the good graces of Orgon, a foolish wealthy bourgeois, and his mother Pernelle, eager to reestablish their family moral rigor against the widespread corruption of morals. Neither his wife Elmire or other family members, including his brother in law Cléante and the maid Dorine, managed to convince…

The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment can be referred to as extensive moments of realization where one finds a question to have multiple answers instead of only one. The Scientific Revolution was the very beginning of a radical chain of events that started with the emergence of modern science that further transformed the views on society and nature. Sparked by the critical way of thinking, intellectual forces rejected traditional ideas and began to question the functions of society…

During the era of Meiji Japan, Japan opened its doors and became influenced by societies like Europe. In Sanshirō: a Novel by Natsume Sōseki, Japan became influenced by Europe’s ideas of individuality and humanism. The people in Meiji Japan believed and accepted to a great extend the European narrative of the Enlightenment of humanism, people being seen as a human who determine their own destiny, individuality, which meant people do what is in their self-interest, people were logical and…

Near the end of the 18th century, the Europe’s most ostentatious nation would soon face a revolution that would alter the course of history. France’s Third Estate was starting to grow tried of being politically inferior to the other two estates, but having an overwhelming larger population. There were new taxes imposed by their king after he and his Austrian queen bankrupted the nation, throwing them deep into debt. Bread, the main source of a Frenchman’s diet, was scarily found after seasons of…

On the eve of the Revolution there were numerous factors which, included a weakened political system, unfair economic policy and poor social conditions which all attributed to the instability of France and its people. To begin, France in the 1800s had seen a growth in population. While it may not have occured as rapidly as Europe, it still caused an inbalance between the number of people and the economic opportunities available (557-559). This increase put a strain on a society which at…

The Enlightenment period, which stretched from the mid 17th to early 19th centuries, brought about a new and more advanced society through the radical change in common perceptions. Europeans began to question the reliability of the morals and ideas they have always accepted, and decided to make great attempts in diminishing ignorance and, instead, rationalize the problems present in society. Mary Shelly had written Frankenstein during the end of the Enlightenment era, and was inspired to…

The consulate came into power in france after the collapse of the directory government in 1799. The desperation of the French people was for the formation of a strong republic with leadership that would guranbtee them freedom, prosperity and security within their boarders.napoleon Bonaparte was the first consul that also included two other consuls. They performed different factions within the legilslative and constitutional mandates of their offices to foster progress in the french political…

The French Revolution, which started in 1789 and ended in 1799, brought many political and social changes to France. The French Revolution began because the 3rd Estate, which was comprised of peasants and bourgeoisie, was frustrated by the large amount of taxes and also that their voice was not being heard in government. In the beginning of the Revolution, many changes were made based on enlightenment ideals. However, toward the end of the Revolution in 1794, these enlightenment ideals were…

The positivist school of criminology derived from positive philosophy and the logical and methodology of empirical or experimental science. Positive philosophy emerged during a time of tremendous social change which occurred at the end of the time for Enlightenment thinkers, and it was an explicit repudiation or reaction to the critical and “negative” philosophy of Enlightenment thinkers. Two of the most recognizable figures of positive philosophy are Saint-Simon who fought in both the…