Voltaire

Eighteenth century Western society was an important time period for the furthering of revolution and reform, both in thought and in action. Napoléon Bonaparte’s rise to power was a direct result of this. Many different major historical events as well as the rebirth of reason at this time were the key factors in launching his social status from the middle class of Corsica to the imperial throne of France, creating perhaps the most powerful European state and government of the 1800s. Most notable…

The Beginning The revolution was a terrible time for everyone in France. The lower class was undermined, and tens of thousands of innocents lost their lives. But what caused all this chaos? Research shows that many factors contributed to the rise of disappointment and frustration among the lower class. These factors, which led to the enlightenment of the people, include many political, social, and economic circumstances, most of which had occurred long before the young King Louis XVI came to the…

The French revolution, an important time in history. This was a time of death, economic crisis, taxing and much more. There was so much going on over this time span in history. There are many topics in the French Revolution to pick from but, some interesting ones I would like to introduce are the trials and execution of Louis XVI, The reign of terror, and the remaking of France. I will break up each topic into three sections scratching the surface on each of these topics and briefly discussing…

The Enlightenment was an abstract movement in the 18th century which influenced the world of ideas. Groups of scientists, philosophers and thinkers came up with and discussed new ideas that were based on reason. The intellectual leaders of this movement considered themselves as courageous and noble, they viewed their purpose as leading the world towards progress and out of a long period of doubtful words. That of which they saw resulting from the ‘Dark Ages’. There are many influential and…

INTRO: The Enlightenment was a period of advancement in Western Europe that engendered the political, sociological and educational of modernity. The Enlightenment Period took place between 1650 and 1780, and is characterised by skepticism towards the doctrines of the Church, individualism, and rational thinking. ‘Enlightenment thinkers’ became instrumental in advocating the need for social reform, particularly through mediums such as literature. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a political philosopher…

The Great Cat Massacre: Deciphering Cultural Symbols In Darnton’s second chapter, Workers Revolt: The Great Cat Massacre of The Rue Saint-Séverin, Darnton explores the bizarre ritualized cat massacre of the rue Saint-Séverin during the late 1730s. Examining the symbology behind the cat in French culture, as well as the historical context behind the massacre, Darnton weaves together a complex story that transcends far beyond the gruesome deaths of la grise, and the cats of the rue Saint-Séverin.…

Sacrifice Throughout history there have been many wars and revolutions, just as such, there have been many epics, novels, and poems written about them. In Charles Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities, a book about families, friends, and leaders that are involved in the French Revolution, one will find the usage of symbolize to best explain a variety of themes and characters; along with this the reader will discover the usage of motifs that serve the purpose of showing the need for a revolution,…

The American struggle and the French Revolution had many similarities. Many people called these two relationships the “ mirror struggle.” The American struggle and the French Revolution occurred during the late eighteenth century. These two revolutions were forced around liberty and equality. They shared a monarchical government. The first thing that these two had in common was that they both created ripe conditions for constitutionalism and deep patriotism. The second thing that they had in…

Candide by Voltaire Candide starts the story as an optimistic person just like his teacher Pangloss. Candide is a faithful student, but as his life goes on he begins to change the way he looks at things. Candide foolish way of thinking starts to melt away, as his experience the world more. He starts to think and becomes convinced that evil is part of the world. Candide comes to the realization that even when you do good things you don’t always get good things back in return. He shows you…

Though the two never met in person, Voltaire was an enthusiastic acolyte of the English physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton. Upon receiving a copy of Newton’s “Principia Mathematica,” he claimed he knelt down before it in reverence, “as was only right.” Voltaire played a key role in popularizing Newton’s ideas, and he offered one of the first accounts of how the famed scientist developed his theories on gravity. In his 1727 “Essay on Epic Poetry,” Voltaire wrote that Newton “had the…