Focus: Various revolutions worldwide during this period.
Importance of Enlightenment: Provided ideological framework for these upheavals.
Definition of the Enlightenment
Intellectual Movement: New ways of understanding through rationalism and empiricism.
Rationalism:
Emphasizes reason over emotion or external authority for true knowledge.
"To get to know, you must think rather than feel."
Empiricism:
Gained through senses, primarily rigorous experimentation.
Historical Context
Enlightenment rooted in the Scientific Revolution (16th-17th century).
Shift from biblical authority to reason and evidence.
Scientists discovered the workings of the natural world.
Enlightenment as an extension of scientific rationalism applied to human society.
Religious Implications
Shift in the role of religion in public life.
Christianity viewed as a revealed religion, not to be questioned.
New Views on Divinity:
Deism: Belief in a non-intervening creator God.
Atheism: Complete rejection of religious belief.
Key Enlightenment Ideas
Individualism:
Society's basic unit is the individual, not collective groups.
Natural Rights:
Rights inherent to individuals (e.g., life, liberty, property).
John Locke's view: Rights endowed by God, cannot be taken away.
Social Contract:
Governments must be constructed by the will of the people to protect their rights.
Right to overthrow tyrannical governments.
Effects of Enlightenment Ideas
Ideological Context for Revolutions:
Influenced American, French, Haitian, and Latin American Revolutions.
Rejection of established traditions led to intensified nationalism.
Expansion of Suffrage:
Evolution from voting rights for only landed white males to broader recognition through the 19th century.
Abolition of Slavery:
Enlightenment thinkers criticized slavery, leading to movements for abolition (e.g., Britain in 1807).
Slave rebellions, like the Great Jamaica Revolt, influenced decisions on abolition.
End of Serfdom:
Transition from agricultural to industrial economies made serfs unnecessary.
Peasant revolts prompted leaders in England, France, and Russia to abolish serfdom.
Women’s Suffrage Movement:
Despite Enlightenment ideals, women were marginalized in revolutionary movements.
Emergence of feminism, with activists like Olympe de Gouges and the Seneca Falls Convention (1848) calling for voting rights.
Conclusion
The Enlightenment was a critical period that reshaped ideas about government, individual rights, and social structures, leading to significant revolutions and societal changes.