History The French Revolution Questions
The Enlightenment played a significant role in the French Revolution by inspiring and influencing the ideas and principles that fueled the revolution. Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu promoted concepts of individual rights, equality, and the importance of reason and logic. These ideas challenged the traditional authority of the monarchy and the Catholic Church, and they provided the intellectual foundation for the revolutionaries' demands for political and social change. The Enlightenment also contributed to the spread of revolutionary ideas through the publication of influential texts and the establishment of salons and coffeehouses where intellectuals could gather and discuss these ideas. Overall, the Enlightenment provided the ideological framework that shaped the goals and aspirations of the French Revolution.