Enlightenment in

Europe (Sample)
Historians have long debated the exact relationship between the Enlightenment and the
French Revolution. In the minds of contemporaries, the Enlightenment laid the
groundwork for the Revolution’s most important ideas and agendas. Within two years of
its outbreak in 1789, it sparked radical movements in Britain, Haiti, and finally Ireland
and Egypt. The days of the Enlightenment seemed halcyon – a war of words, a battle of
books – in comparison with the reality of trying to live in a republic and keep faith with its
principles.
- Historian, Margaret C. Jacob

Ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901

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 LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the module, students should be able to:
❖ Understand the nature of the Age of Enlightenment
❖ Know some of the famous European thinkers during this period
❖ Analyse how Enlightenment themes and concepts influenced revolutions

KEY
WORDS
Age of Enlightenment
Liberty Scientific method
Religious tolerance Reason
Revolutions Government

MODULE CONTENT
This module includes the following topics:
● The Age of Enlightenment Timeline
● Enlightenment Thinkers
● The Royal Society
● Major Themes
● Revolutionary Influence
○ American and French Revolution

ENLIGHTENMENT TIMELINE
The Thirty Years War, which lasted from 1618 to 1648, was said to be the cause
behind the emergence of the Age of Enlightenment. John Comenius and Hugo
Grotius became the first thinkers of reason. Pre-Enlightenment discoveries created a
snowball effect that triggered further innovation specifically in earth science and
astronomy.
ENLIGHTENMENT

Scientists Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei discredited the classic

theories and truths as Aristotle. Both continued the work of Copernicus
and theorised that the center of the solar system is the sun
(heliocentrism) and everything else, including planets revolve around it.

Philosophers René Descartes and Roger Bacon put a different

line on scientific method. Both believed that experience should
be the primary and fundamental source of knowledge.
 Prior to Kepler and Galileo, scholars thought
of geocentrism with Earth as the center of the
universe.

The emergence of Enlightenment thinkers was caused by Renaissance humanists who believed in the
capacity of man, instead of Christian myths. With Renaissance lacking explanations to scientific
developments, rational thinkers came with new scientific methods.

The Age of Enlightenment (mid-1600s until late 18the century), also known
as Age of Reason, was an intellectual and philosophical movement in
European history that exhibited the dominance of rational and scientific
ENLIGHTENMENT

thinking.

In 1637, Rene Descartes published his Discourse on Method, which became

one of the foundations of modern philosophy.

In 1686, Isaac Newton published his Principia Mathematica. After three

years, John Locke wrote his Essay Concerning Human Understanding’. Both
works became the precursor of the Enlightenment period.

Locke’s work was
followed by the Second
Treatise on Government,
which became the basis
of the idea of freedom
and liberty.
In 1762, Rousseau came up with another
treaty written in form of novel, Emile. He
highlighted that children should not be
restricted of their natural instincts. He
particularly discussed the balance
between sentiment and reason. The same
year, he published the Social Contract,
which presented the harmony between
pursuing individual liberty and general
will of the government.
Locke argued in his work that knowledge was
based on accumulated experiences, rather than
perception of outside truth.
In the mid 1700s, Diderot published his
Encyclopédie, which became a compilation of new
knowledge. Also during this time, Montesquieu
released his Spirit of the Laws, which
distinguished three types of governments:
republics, monarchies, and despotism.
In 1764, Italian thinker Cesare Beccaria wrote
On Crimes and Punishments, which argued
that punishments should not be a source of
brutality. He opened the public on new forms
of justice.
Scottish philosopher Adam Smith published
the Wealth of Nations in 1776. His work
became the founding theory of modern
economics.

Smith believed that free trade, labour theory of value, and limited interference of the
government were the fundamental elements of economics.