How Did The Enlightenment Influence The French Revolution

The Enlightenment sparked movements towards better societies, involving a massive revolution towards study of the sciences, arts, and philosophy. The ideas sparked ideas within soon-to-be leaders, as with the leaders of the American Revolution, such as Benjamin Franklin.
The Enlightenment made people of France realize that their society is due for a reconstruction of authority; to rebuild their society to be more “rational.”
One of the earliest incidences of the Revolution was the revolt against the Revellion wallpaper factory. The owner said he would be increasing wages while the bread prices were soaring. The workers who were of the Third Estate, naturally, were greatly angered and took arms to revolt. Jobs and privileges were allowed to

the social betters of the Third Estate, so they called for the Second and First Estates to pay their share of taxes.
The Third Estate broke from the Estates-General King Louis XVI had called formed the National Assembly in 1789, and made the infamous Tennis Court Oath that they will not falter so long as a new constitution was formulated, one where all was equal. The Assembly had also issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in August of 1789. This mirrors the ideologies popular Enlightenment ideas, such as John Locke’s ideas of natural rights. The Revolution was an emotional movement, and grew more violent after the Storming of the Bastille. It needed a competent leader.
After 3 years of violence and revolt, radicals took control of the Assembly and called for the election of a new legislative body to replace the faulty Legislative Assembly that was the precursor to the newly formed National Convention. Suffrage was extended to all male citizens, again mirroring Enlightenment philosophies. They voted to abolish monarchy, establish the French Republic, and to create a new constitution. King Louis XVI had been executed and a Committee of Public Safety was created by the Convention, which had 12 members with absolute power in an attempt to save the Revolution after danger lingered in early 1793. Maximilian Robespierre took control and was favored. He was for religious toleration and wanted to abolish slavery. He claimed to represent the people, but was a great danger. He was the chief architect of the Reign of Terror, from September 1793 to July 1794. After his execution on the 27th of July in 1794, the Republic had to get it back together. A new constitution was formulated by the moderates in 1795 and it set up a 5-man Directory and 2-house legislature elected by male citizens of property. It held power until 1794.
After the Constitution of 1795 and chaos threatened, people looked to Napoleon Bonaparte, a very competent and formidable military leader, to lead them.

Initially, politicians planned to use him for their goals. But Napoleon had his own plans. Napoleon was a strong supporter of the Revolution since the Storming of the Bastille, and he favored the Jacobins and Republic rule. As the victories stacked up, he became more of a leader. He eventually crowned himself emperor in 1804. He dominated Europe and France from 1799 to 1815, and spread nationalistic feelings all over Europe. He controlled prices, encouraged new industry, set up a system of public schools (under strict government rule to ensure well-trained officials and military officers), and built roads and canals. Although he was a fair leader, he saw his men as expendable for his cause. Among his lasting reforms was the Napoleonic Code, which were laws that embodied Enlightenment principles. Despite this, Napoleon valued order and authority over individual rights. He ruled for a fair while, but suffered losses after he became over-confident. Although he was defeated at Waterloo and he died in 1821, his legacy lived on. He sparked nationalistic feelings across Europe and sold the Louisiana Territory to America in 1803. The Quadruple Alliance of Austria, Prussia, Russia, and Great Britain worked together to suppress future revolutions and maintain a balance of power, and held a Concert of Europe that met periodically to discuss grievances and any possible violations of peace. Europe would see war on Napoleonic scale nearly 100 years later in 1914 during the Great

War.