Analysis Of Voltaire's Treatise On Toleration From 1500-1789

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Starting from 1500 to 1789, in France, lots of changes accord on already present religions or new developing ones. Every King or authority of that time came up with new set of rules and regulations for their people. Most of them were on the new developing branch of Christianity called, Protestantism. The most famous set of treaties were: Edict of Nantes in 1598; Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685; Voltaire’s Treatise on Toleration in 1763; Louis XVI’s Edict on Toleration in 1787; and the declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen in 1789. Few treaties were kept the same as the older ones; others were against the ones made earlier. Few treaties allowed new religious beliefs to merge; others tried to exclude the minority religions. These …show more content…

Voltaire was the name of the pen used by the famous writer of Enlightenment, Francois Marie Arouet. (Voltaire; 38) Arouet gives an example of an ordinary innocent father saying when he gets in trouble, without doing anything wrong, then voices of ordinary people are heard; he writes, “Every voice is raised in a demand of vengeance.” (Voltaire; 39) He argues that the danger decreases as the variety of people from different beliefs increase, because multiplicity enfeebles the authorities. (Voltaire; 39) He also says that many fathers want to return back to their homeland with a wish that their beliefs will be respected, and they will be able to live with their family peacefully. Arouet says, “Human law must in every case be based on natural law. All over the earth the great principle of both is: Do not unto others what you would that they do not unto you.” (Voltaire; 39-40) Similar to King Henry IV, Arouet compares this situation with the people in Asia, that how there would not be any religion present there if they had also not tolerated people from having different religious …show more content…

Under the King Louis XVI, France was divided into three Estates; majority belonging to the third Estate. This document ended the old rules and made equal rules for every individual, regardless of your Estate, because they felt that ignorance, neglect, or corruption of government is the sole cause of public calamities. (Lualdi; 118) The rights of the men and citizens were: Men are born and will remain free with equal rights, everyone has right of liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression, no individual can practice on the law which has not stated directly from the nation, any individual is free to do anything which is not harmful to other citizens, laws can only prohibit harmful actions, no person should be accused or arrested unless they have been proved of doing something against the law, no criminal should be punished more than the law prohibits, everyone has freedom to state their opinion and have different religious views, public military forces will be responsible for the security of the rights of citizens, and a common contribution is essential for maintenance. (Lualdi; 119-120) After publishing these laws, King Louis XVI was over thrown, because people did not like him. These laws brought peace and liberty for everyone in

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