how far philoshpers were responsible in french revolution in 200 words
Answers
At the beginning of the 18th century, new ideas began to be spread across the country about new concepts such as science, which completely shook the church and the government as it discredited their ideas majorly. For years, the people of France had believed and accepted in established order and the idea of divine right, that the King had been chosen by God to become the leader of the country and to bring it forward, economically and socially. A strong sense of absolutism was enforced and people accepted their place in society, and worshipped under the strong Catholic Church. However, these were all debated by the new philosophers who believed it was time for social reform and significant changes in the way science was used and accepted at the time.
The Italian philosopher, Beccaria spread his theories that harsh punishments to the majority of crimes did not help in anyway and that it was more appropriate to have punishments set on the severity and nature of the crime committed, rather than brutal punishments for all. He believed that this would mean people would be less likely to want to commit an offence again, but also to punish them dependent on the crime, as he did not believe, for example, that it was fair to have someone executed for stealing in the same way a convicted murderer would be. Hobbes also noted this is some of his work, stating that people must be controlled otherwise they will act in a manner that is similar to animals and that the government must have a strong hold over its governing populous. This did not agree with conventional ideas of the time as most agreed that God was to choose the punishment in most cases and that harsh punishment would deter others from the same crime.
Finally, at the time these ideas were spreading, the French economy was in tatters from excessive spending in unnecessary areas which could have been better spent on the people. Adam Smith and Rousseau particularly supported the idea that the government should have less control over the economy and that it should naturally balance itself out and recover eventually, this appeals to others as they were only led to believing in inflated prices and high taxes imposed and set by the government and the Church. The philosophers strongly disagreed with the idea of class separation and how the third estate were taxed at a ridiculous way, compared to those who were exempt from such, like the Churchmen and the Nobles. They believed people should be made more equal and social reform should occur for the economy to recover and boom again.
Overall, I believe that the philosophers played a huge role in the beginning of the French Revolution as their ideas provoked thought and completely disagreed with nearly everything the Church stood for. It brought new ideas which excited the people of France and led them to realise their narrow views and the evident need for social reform for France to move forward as a country. Many people had turned away from the monarchy and believed it was no longer efficient in running the country alone. Criticisms of the poverty of the third estate and the status of the Bourgeoisie led the young population to accept and indulge themselves in the new ideas that the philosophers began to uncover.