During the late 18th century there was a revolution amidst the people of France to overthrow the corrupt absolute monarchy. Under this monarchy the King had the authority to do as he pleased. Influences of Enlightenment thinking made worthy contributions to the development of the Declaration of the Rights of Man, most notably from Jean Rousseau’s, The Social Contract. The Declaration of Rights of Man was an influential document of the French Revolution because its articles advocated the termination of aristocratic privileges, granting birth-given rights to all men and the king no longer had absolute rule over the nation, in which the law protected its citizens. The Enlightenment gave rise to philosophical thinking which directed criticism …show more content…
Rousseau proposed the concept of the Social Contract, in which each member of society puts his or her personal will aside and promotes the general will of the nation. This was an important idea because during this time the only will carried out in society was that of the King’s interest. However, as society promoted the ideas of Rousseau, The Social Contract challenged the government, no longer carrying out the king’s personal will but the general will of the Third Estate; furthermore, led to the prosperity of all within the nation through the progressive efforts of the Third Estate. Subsequently led to the establishment of the Tennis Court Oath, June 20, 1789. This meeting conspired from the Third Estates representatives locked out from meeting which they believe happened to prevent them for making any change, ensuing this the men declared to produce a constitution and never depart until this occurred. …show more content…
For example, a notable amount of the clergy and nobility were exempt from direct taxes, placing the burden of the nation’s massive tax debt on the Third Estate. According to Rousseau, “Sovereignty is indivisible… and is inalienable… a will is general or it is not.”, an ideology of the estate system, excluded the poor of the Third Estate from any power and the continuous economical oppression was unethical. With sovereignty only in the grasp of the absolute monarchy the lack of representation, deprived the Third Estate of human rights and denied them the opportunity for prosperity, except for a small number who became skilled workers. The majority of French society consisted of the Third Estate, where feudalism diminished the opportunity for peasant farmers to obtain their own personal land, which led to a downfall of the Third Estate’s welfare. Rousseau’s proposition, converting the King’s will to the general will of the people, led to review of how the government treats policies which affect day to day life of the people. The Third Estates’ representatives took this into consideration by declaring sovereignty was for all, not excluding anyone from the proposition of prosperity. Furthermore,
The enlightenment ideas affected politics for both the French and the American peoples through the form of government and individual rights. Thinkers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, believed in the individual right of man as a citizen of a sovereign nation. In 1789, Marquis de Lafayette used Rousseau and other free thinker’s ideas to draft his Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen to the National Constituent Assembly in France (http://www.pbs.org/marieantoinette/revolution/america_france.html). This established universal rights for individuals that always existed at all times. The document shows many similarities to American documents such as the declaration of Human Rights in the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights in the Constitution. For instance, they all show a relationship through the declaration of individual rights such as free speech and freedom of religion. However, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen focuses more on individualism while American documents focus more on a community “We the People” (http://www.pbs.org/marieantoin...
The Declaration of the Rights of Man was formed and intended in 1789 by the National Assembly of France to be the very backbone for the constitution. This allowed the nation of France to become liberated and achieve a more secure and structured society by changing from that of an absolute monarchy to a more constitutional democracy. France sought to gain equality and freedom for all individuals; after being fed up with the constant corruption for so long. France managed to successfully obtain an equal nation and government, in which power was given to the people and not to some tyrannical or dictatorial figure.
In one corner we have a nation, fed up with the corruption and constant bullying of their big brother nation, seeking the approval of the world for a revolution. In the other corner we have a nation, bent on gaining the equality among all individuals in their state, coming together to lay down the law to their king. Both America and France had a thirst for a new equal nation and government in which power was given to the people and not to a tyrannical figure. Individuals from both of these countries sat down and wrote up a letter of declaration in demand of the freedom that they so rightfully deserved. Both of them won that freedom, as the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen flourished with success in the late 18th century. ‘How did these two important documents come about’ is the question we should be asking ourselves. What separated these two monumental letters from each other? What gave each of them their fire, their spark to gain their rights to liberty? America’s Declaration of Independence focused more on America gaining sole ownership of their nation, abolishing their connections with the British and their tyrant King George, and setting up their own government based on Natural law and equality among all men. France’s Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen confronted the king on his neglect to the equal rights of man, laid down the basic principles of how the nation should be run, and proclaimed that the nation should be and is going to be run by the people for the people. With those key differences stated as well as several other small values, such as taxation, oppression, and security, my concern is how both methods worked so efficiently given their varianc...
As such, there no longer existed any excuse for people to ignore the rights and respect which belonged to their fellow men. Article 4 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man explicitly states that the “rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the enjoyment of the same rights” (National Assembly). This moral responsibility prohibits the ignorance of grievances and injustices to other people, stemming from Enlightenment thought regarding the bettering of self and others (Duiker and Spielvogel 382). However, the Declaration advocates for extreme freedom in the rights of its citizens in manner not seen in the United States, due to the harsh oppression that existed under Louis XVI. The Third Estate, whose members comprised a large portion of French society, were required to pay taxes during the reign of Louis XVI, while the First and Second Estates were exempt. The shift from this drastic exploitation of lower class citizens culminated in expressions of liberty, which dictated the severity to which personal freedoms extended. Article XIV, which allows citizens to decide the extent of their public contribution, is an extreme interpretation of the ideals of individual liberty presented in the Enlightenment (National
Some people like Emmanuel Sieyès, middle-class writer who was taken by the Enlightenment ideas, believed that all of French Society lay on the backs of the third estate. On the contrary, Robespierre, the monarch at the time, believed that the third estate did not have the power to do anything important to society. The third estate had to pay taxes like the Gabelle and Taille while the first and seconds estates did not have to pay any taxes to the king. Also, the third estates had less of a representation in voting. The first and second estate could outvote the third estate every time and this was a huge inequality. The condition of the third estate was horrible but a good portion of this third estate was the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie had some wealth and social class, so they influenced the rest of the third estate about their rights, while also inspiring some lower clergies and provincial nobles and thus led to a group of rebellious people to fight the monarchy. This fight for political representation and political rights was only one cause of the French Revolution. Another causes lies in the French Monarchs: Louis XlV, Louis XV, and Louis XVl. When Louis XlV was ruling, the monarchy had unlimited power and was known as a
The Bill of Rights and Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen are based on the same principles of natural rights; therefore each document is similar in protecting the people's natural rights. However, despite their similarities, their differences are apparent due to the social situations in which they were adopted. The Bill of Rights stood to protect the freedoms of each individual by establishing a democratic government. The French Revolution eliminated the hierarchy of class and established equality among men with the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen. Several influences from past philosophers and documents assisted the frame work of the Bill of Rights and Declaration of Rights and Citizen.
Before the French Revolution that occurred during the late 18th century, France was considered one of the most advanced and opulent countries in Europe. It was in the center of the Enlightenment era, a period of time from the 1600s to the 1800s that is considered today as one of the most significant intellectual movements in history by encouraging a new view of life. The age sparked hundreds of important thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Locke, Thomas Paine, and Adam Smith. The Enlightenment was the fuel that sparked a worldwide desire to reshape and reconsider the ways that countries were governed. Limited monarchies, direct democracies, limited democracies, and absolute monarchies, among others, were many forms of government that were disputed by these thinkers. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, one the many significant Enlightenment thinkers, believed in a direct democracy, a system in which a country is governed by many, and where no one person has a considerable amount of power. This idea that citizens should receive independence and a voice would later stimulate the French and result in what is now k...
The Enlightenment was an astonishing time of transformation in Europe. During this time in the eighteenth century there was a progressive movement that was labeled by its criticism of the normal religious, social, and political perceptions. A number of significant thinkers, with new philosophies, had inspired creativeness and change. These thinkers had many different thoughts and views on people and the way they act, and views on the government. Two well-known and most influential thinkers of this time were the English political philosopher John Locke and the French political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. These two men had laid down some of the intellectual grounds of the modern day government and both had different opinions on what the government’s role in a society.
This document is called the Declaration of the Rights of Man. This document was written during the time of the French Revolution in the year of 1789. It has several different points but the main focus for the creation of the document was to create new ideals for French society and individuals. Before the Declaration of the Rights of Man there was a structured body known as the Estates General that made important decisions. There were three bodies within the Estates General that had one vote each; the Nobility, Clergy, and Common People. Although the Estate general was able to make a vote on decisions the king had the ultimate vote that out ruled all. The Estates General Common People normally got the bad end of the stick, because the Clergy and Nobility would vote alike because their higher power.
The English Bill of Rights (1689) and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789) are roughly around the same period, in that it is possible to think the both documents share similar ideologies. To the thought’s dismay, it is not. Even if both documents start from the same question of taxation, the outputs vary enormously in that each has different aims: the English Bill of Rights (shortened as the English Bill from now on) only changes the crown and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man (shortened as the French Declaration) changes the whole society. However, they are similar in that both strived for the representation of the masses.
In answer to the changes sought out by the rebelling French communities, Edmund Burke’s release of the “Reflections on the Revolution in France” in 1790 depicted the man’s careful denunciation of the destructive nature of the people. Concurrently, Thomas Paine published a direct response in the form of two volumes dubbed “The Rights of Man” between 1791 and 1792. But apparently, Paine was ready to support that risk. In conclusion, Thomas Paine’s views are more convincing than those of Edmund Burke, just because of their motives behind the same.
The third estate consisted of the remaining 23.5 million French people who were 90% peasants. The third estate was the only estate that paid taxes. Their taxes ensured the financial well-being of the clergy, state, and nobles (French Revolution Overview 6). The Enlightenment was a major influence of the French Revolution. The Enlightenment caused the revolution in three ways.
On August 26, 1789, the assembly issued the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.” Through judicial matters, this document was written in order to secure due process and to create self-government among the French citizens. This document offered to the world and especially to the French citizens a summary of the morals and values of the Revolution, while in turn justifying the destruction of a government; especially in this case the French government, based upon autocracy of the ruler and advantage. The formation of a new government based upon the indisputable rights of the individuals of France through liberty and political uniformity.
They were only two percent of France’s population, but owned twenty percent of the land. They paid no taxes (Krieger 483). The third estate accounted for ninety-eight percent of France’s population. The third estate was divided into three groups; the middle class, known as the bourgeoisie, the urban lower classes, and the peasant farmers. The third estate lost about half their income in taxes.
John Locke’s social contract theory applies to all types of societies in any time era. Although, Jean-Jacques Rousseau did write during the Renaissance era, his philosophy limits itself to fix the problem of an absolute monarchy and fails to resolve other types of societies. These philosophers have such profound impacts on modern day societies. For example, the United States’ general will is codified in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, meanwhile individual rights are distinguished in the Declaration of