What role did philosophers play in bringing about the french revolution? Explain any five points.
Answers
Q. What role did philosophers play in bringing about the french revolution? Explain any five points.
A. (a) The French phiiosophers \ike Voitaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu and Diderotprovided revoiutionary ideals and inspired peopie to fight for their rights.
(b) They exposed the inefficiency of the monarch and his government and aroused the peepie to chaiienge monarchy.
(c) Voitaire attacked the Cathoiic Church. He believed that destiny was in one's hand and not in heaven. His ideas encouraged peopie to fight against the Church without any guiit.
(d) Jean Jacques Rousseau believed that government shouid be based on the consent of the governed. in his book ‘Sociai Contract’ he talks of a contract between the ruler and ruied whereby the ruier is responsible for the happiness of his subjects. implied in his writings was the beiief that men had a right to change their government if they were not satisfied.
Ideas of having a society based on freedom and equal laws and opportunities for all were put forward by the French philosophers.
John Locke: Locke wrote, ‘Two Treatises of Government’. In this book, he criticised the divine and absolute rights of the rulers.
John Jacques Rousseau: Rousseau had written his viewpoints in his book, ‘The Social
Contract’. He had put forward the idea of formation of a government based on a social contract between people and their representatives.
Montesquieu: His ideas were proposed in his book, ‘The Spirit of the Laws’. According to him, there should be a division of power between the three important organs—the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.
The ideas of these philosophers were discussed by common people in salons and coffee houses and inspired them to fight for their rights.
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