Question

why did some people in the eighteenth century europe think that print culture would bring enlightenment and end despotism.

Answer 1

By eighteenth century, there was a common conviction that the books were a means of spreading progress and enlightenment.
Many felt that books could change the world, liberate society from despotism and tyranny and herald a time when reason and intellect would rule.
The printing press was believed to be the most powerful engine of progress and public opinion.
Many historians have argued that print culture created the conditions for the end of despotism in France through French Revolution.

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Answer 2

The easy and cheap availability of the print culture meant that literacy would no longer be restricted to the upper classes and can be accessed by anyone.