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Science and its impact on society
Impact of french revolution on europe
French revolution causes and impact
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There are always major changes happening to western civilizations. These changes can become the cornerstones of revolutions and the keynotes of history. Religion, civil rights, economic struggle, intellectual enlightenment as well as other civil inquisitions have led western civilization through its twist and turns. For the whole of Europe in its transitions from medieval times to the modern world, it was influenced by a change in ideology. Philosophies and sciences brought about the new age for Europe. Political, religious and scientific standpoints reshaped the society on the continent. Scientific discovery brought about as much questioning as it did answers. The Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei invented the improved telescope that gave man the capability to peer into the heavens1. Seeing the universe in this new light caused men to awaken to a new sense of being. Finding that seeing the way our universe was laid out was different than what was originally conceived caused major impact in society. Galileo’s findings caused him to battle with the powerful Catholic Church, a decision that ultimately led to his downfall. Scientific discovery in gravity and the laws The French Revolution having been a key change in promoting democratic republics across Europe. Europe has seen the rise, success and fall of diverse types of governments, all who have made a lasting impact on history. Monarchies that have passed down power through family names for centuries, Republics that have focused on putting the power in the hands of the people, nationalism and fascism that have laid strict hands on its subjects to radicalized a country. Socialism from the east made its way in and even evolved into its own form of European socialism3 that is still in place today. Murder, war, freedom and oppression all stem from the changing governments that have laid throughout the rich history of
Politically, in the 1400's parts of Europe had a feudalistic government and some, feudal monarchies but overtime Europe adapted to absolute monarchies, parliamentary monarchies, and nation-states. The dominant social system in Medieval Europe was feudalism, in which the nobility held land in exchange for military service, and vassals were tenants of the nobles, while the peasants were to live on their lord's land and give him labor, and a share of the produce, in exchange for military protection. However, the age of Enlightenment and the French Revolution affected Europe and brought new political changes. Before the Enlightenment, there were feudal systems, and most people lived in small villages and were ruled by feudal lords. Eventually there were new thinkers like John Locke and Isaac Newton. These individuals were about reason, logic, and the scientific method. John Locke, as one example, is an enlightenment age thinker and his ideas influenced the Founding Fathers, the ideas of democracy, liberty and free will. The French Revolution is also important, a period of political upheaval that affected France in which s...
Western Europe was more concerned with their Maker and the redemption of their souls than with their individual lives on earth. This meant that the development of their own philosophies and schools of thought would occur later than many other postclassical civilizations. However, the time period was not without achievement. It laid the ground for discoveries of tremendous importance that would change the known world forever.
Unlike previous centuries, the eighteenth century was the dawn of a new age in Western Europe where intellectuals thrived, science was honored, and curiosity was encouraged; and the framework of how civil society was changed as a whole. From the dawn of the Enlightenment Western European culture was changing due to the revolutionary new ideas that were changing. With the social change going on, political change was as ever evident as time went on. With these changes rooted in social change went out, the effects of the Enlightenment can be seen over 18th century Western Europe and beyond.
The English Enlightenment represented innovation in technology, advancement of communication, and the destruction of absolutism, all of which significantly affected American culture. Scientific discoveries in Europe, mainly cultivated by Isaac Newton, Galileo, and Copernicus, served as the pinnacles of scientific rationalism, or the science that provides answers to questions reached through human inquiry, not scriptures of the Bible. These findings went completely against religious ideals of the era, one example being the discovery of craters on the moon, which proved that all things created by God are not perfect. The printing press allowed scientific ideas to be effectively spread across the world. The upset of religion by science extended throughout Europe, into Britain, and eventually to the American colonies. As religious beliefs were replaced by scientific fact, universities in North America grew and became secular. In Europe, absolute monarchs were ousted and established churches were denied the right to have hierarchical power. The rise of science was reflected by new political ideas as well. Montesquieu’s Spirit of the Laws, Rousseau’s The Social Contract, and John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government justified the ostracism of absolute monarchs through the principle of government based on social contracts, not divine rights. The social contract was created to protect what Locke described as the Natural Rights of Man- life, liberty, and pr...
The Enlightenment itself ignited the changes in perspective that were needed to provoke improvement in society and set new standards for our future. These standards spread rather rapidly across Europe and eventually to America and challenged the old order. These ideas of rational thinking over religion and authority delivered a vast political change throughout the world which can still be felt today. These revolutionary thoughts of rationalism brought on freedom of speech and the demand for equality in society. This was not only the igniter to the French revolution but was also, how many governments including the United States based their modern
Beginning in mid-1789, and lasting until late-1799, the French Revolution vastly changed the nation of France throughout its ten years. From the storming of the Bastille, the ousting of the royal family, the Reign of Terror, and all the way to the Napoleonic period, France changed vastly during this time. But, for the better part of the last 200 years, the effects that the French Revolution had on the nation, have been vigorously debated by historian and other experts. Aspects of debate have focused around how much change the revolution really caused, and the type of change, as well as whether the changes that it brought about should be looked at as positive or negative. Furthermore, many debate whether the Revolutions excesses and shortcomings can be justified by the gains that the revolution brought throughout the country. Over time, historians’ views on these questions have changed continually, leading many to question the different interpretations and theories behind the Revolutions effectiveness at shaping France and the rest of the world.
The French Revolution was a period of radical social and political turmoil in France from 1789 to 1799 that greatly affected the French and modern history, marking the steady decline of powerful monarchies and the rise of democracy and nationalism. The trigger for the revolution was the autocratic government of the King, Louis XVI. With absolute power over the people, the King could make all laws, appoint government officials, wage war on whomever he pleased, and imprison anyone he wished. As a consequence the majority of the citizens became disgruntled and disillusioned with the state and problems that came about which later played a part in causing the revolution. The French revolution was attributed to a number of factors which are identified and discussed below.
The French Revolution was caused by inherent problems within France like the social inequality, inefficient monarchy and the financial crisis and was fueled by the Enlightenment ideas. Perhaps it could have been entirely avoided if the monarchy worked harder to reform the country before it was too late or perhaps this would have just postponed the revolution. Either way, it is undeniable that the French Revolution had far-reaching effects. It inspired later revolutions and gave birth to a host of new ideas about an individual’s rights and a country’s obligations to its citizens.
The Scientific revolution in the 16th and 17th centuries changed the way that people views the world. Scientific philosophers such as Galileo and Descartes threw out the old teachings of the church and challenged them with new ways of thinking. These men sought to prove that rational thought could prove the existence of God. They also challenged that it was an understanding of a series of rational thoughts, not faith, would bring understanding of how the world worked. Traditional ways of thinking were ultimately challenged by logical and sensible rationale.
Throughout history, Western civilization has been an emerging force behind change in foreign societies. This is the concept that is discussed in the article the West Unique, Not Universal, written by Samuel Huntington. The author makes a very clear thesis sentence and uses a variety of evidence to support it. This article has a strong very convincing point. The thoughts expressed in this article can be related to a lot of events throughout history.
The most concrete results of the French Revolution were probably achieved in 1789-91, when land was freed from customary burdens and the old corporate society was destroyed. The great reforms of 1789-91 nevertheless established an enduring administrative and legal system, and much of the revolutionaries' work in humanizing the law itself was subsequently incorporated in the Napoleonic Code. Politically, the revolution was more significant than successful. Since 1789 the French government has been either parliamentary and constitutional or based on the plebiscitary system that Napoleon inherited and developed. The Revolution nevertheless freed the state from the trammels of its medieval past, releasing such unprecedented power that the revolutionaries could defy, and Napoleon conquer, the rest of Europe. Moreover, that power acknowledged no restraint: in 1793 unity was imposed on the nation by the Terror. Europe and the world have ever since been learning what infringements of liberty can issue from the concepts of national sovereignty and the will of the people.
At the time just prior to the revolution, ideas and thoughts had been based strictly around faith and not scientific reasoning. The founders of the revolution took a leap of faith into an unknown realm of science and experimentation. Four of the many brilliant founders of the Scientific Revolution; Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler and Brahe, used previous scientific principles and their own genius to make advances in science that are still being used today. Scientific pamphlets, the telescope, observations of the universe and the creation of ...
The age of Enlightenment was a progression of the cultural and intellectual changes in Europe that had resulted from the scientific revolution during the sixteenth and seventeenth century. The scientific revolution and the discoveries made about the natural world would ultimately challenge the way people perceived the world around them. Scientist found real answers, by questioning flawed ancient beliefs that were widely held and maintained by the church. Ultimately, these discoveries and scientific advancements would evolve and effect social, cultural, and political developments in Europe over the course of time. The scientific revolution had provided certainty about the natural world that had long been questioned. With these new developments came the progression and influence of thought, rationality, and individualism. These new ideas would be the hallmark for the Enlightenment movement that would shape most of Europe in the eighteenth century.
The changes produced during the Scientific Revolution were not rapid but developed slowly and in an experimental way. Although its effects were highly influential, the forerunners Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon, and Rene Descartes only had a few hundred followers. Each pioneered unique ideas that challenged the current views of human beingsí relationship with nature. With the backing of empirical observation and mathematical proof, these ideas slowly gained acceptance. As a result, the operation of society, along with prior grounds for faith were reconsidered. Their ideas promoted change and reform for humansí well-being on earth.
Over the course of the years, society has been reformed by new ideas of science. We learn more and more about global warming, outer space, and technology. However, this pattern of gaining knowledge did not pick up significantly until the Scientific Revolution. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century, the Scientific Revolution started, which concerned the fields of astronomy, mechanics, and medicine. These new scientists used math and observations strongly contradicting religious thought at the time, which was dependent on the Aristotelian-Ptolemy theory. However, astronomers like Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton accepted the heliocentric theory. Astronomical findings of the Scientific Revolution disproved the fact that humans were the center of everything, ultimately causing people to question theology’s role in science and sparking the idea that people were capable of reasoning for themselves.