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It wasn't restricted to France -

Despite many of the Enlightenment’s most influential thinkers like René Descartes (pictured), Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and the Baron de Montesquieu being French, the Enlightenment wasn't a uniquely French phenomenon.

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Around Europe -

In England, there was economist Adam Smith (pictured), who wrote the pro-capitalist text 'The Wealth of Nations' (1776). And from his lifelong home in Königsberg (now Kaliningrad), German philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote his categorical imperative: ethical rules that applied to every member of society, be they lord or lowborn.

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In North America -

In North America, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson channeled enlightened ideals into the fight for democracy and American independence.

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The Enlightenment gave us modern science -

Rationalism, empiricism, skepticism, and subjectivism were the principles that united Enlightenment thinkers from different countries.

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Its principles -

Rationalism is the view that knowledge should be gained through reason rather than emotion or faith. Empiricism and skepticism are reminders to question everything and everyone. And subjectivism is an acknowledgement that truth is often dependent on one's point of view.

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"I think, therefore I am" -

The roots of modern-day scientific research can be traced back to philosophers like Descartes, who died in 1650. He coined the iconic phrase cogito, ergo sum, "I think, therefore I am."

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King Louis XIV -

The Enlightenment movement in France enjoyed funding from King Louis XIV, who invested in art and culture to impress other European nations. This, in turn, brought creatives and intellectuals to Paris.

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The Protestant Reformation -

The Protestant Reformation, a precursor to the Enlightenment, was a revolt against the Roman Catholic Church and its doctrines. It objected to the age-old notion that monarchs derived their earthly authority from God.

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The scientific revolution -

The scientific revolution, of the 16th and early 17th centuries, also contributed to the Enlightenment through discoveries that debunked commonly held beliefs, like Earth being the center of the solar system.

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The Enlightenment and the Renaissance -

The Enlightenment owes its existence to the Renaissance, which revived interest in classical texts, such as Plato's dialogues and the republican philosophy of ancient Rome.

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The Enlightenment gave rise to the novel -

While the first European novel, Miguel de Cervantes' 'Don Quixote' (1605), predates the Enlightenment, thinkers from the movement helped mold novels into the literary form we know today. Prior to the 1700s, fiction generally existed in the form of poetry and theater.

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The characteristics of the modern novel -

The Enlightenment gave us the characteristics that define the modern novel. These include the interest in individual experience, social critique, and emphasis on dialogue.

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An enlightened novel -

An example of an enlightened novel is 'Candide' by Voltaire. Published in 1759, it tells the story of a young, naïve, and passionate man trying to figure out the best way to live life. The book went on to inspire generations of novelists.

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The Enlightenment wasn't the only cause of the French Revolution -

Actually, civil unrest in France started over monetary issues. But it eventually evolved thanks to the ideas introduced during the Enlightenment.

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The people against the elite -

Protestors weren't only rebelling against their king, but against the political system he represented.

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Liberté, égalité, fraternité -

The famous French slogan liberté, égalité, fraternité can be read in many Enlightenment texts, including 'The Social Contract' (1762) by Rousseau.

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Power to the people -

Arguing that flawed institutions corrupted the inherent goodness of humanity, Rousseau (pictured) proposed that kings received their power from the people, and that, if they didn't honor this relationship, the people had the right to take that power away.

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Some radical changes were proposed -

As in every artistic, philosophical, or political movement, there were some extreme proponents of the Enlightenment. In France, such proponents included the Committee of Public Safety, which defended the Revolution from domestic and foreign foes. Including the death sentence by guillotine, it implemented policies that ranged from radical to nonsensical.

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Maximilien Robespierre -

Among other things, the committee sought to replace Christianity with what its leader, the vindictive lawyer-turned-tyrant Maximilien Robespierre (pictured), referred to as the "Cult of the Supreme Being." This was an organization dedicated to the worship of the idea of god, rather than a specific deity.

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The Enlightenment almost changed the French calendar -

Revolutionaries even changed the French calendar, introducing weeks that lasted for 10 days, and a year that began on a date corresponding to September 22. This was all to avoid Christian associations.

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Napoleon Bonaparte established Enlightenment reforms in France -

French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte used his absolute power to pass sweeping reforms that, under more democratic circumstances, might have never been implemented.

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Napoleon's implementations -

During his rule, Napoleon gave France a judicial branch, a central bank, and a secondary schooling system. He also implemented religious freedom, and introduced equality before the law via his Napoleonic Code, aspects of which remain embedded in European constitutions to this day.

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He restored slavery -

However, as part of his quest to expand the global French Empire, Napoleon also restored slavery in the French Caribbean in 1802.

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The Enlightenment didn't put an end to slavery -

A common misconception about the Enlightenment is that the movement helped end slavery. This is largely because the Enlightenment took place shortly before several European nations abolished slavery.

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Some enlightened thinkers promoted slavery -

Thinkers like Rousseau and Locke believed the rights of man transcended skin color, arguing slavery was unnatural and inexcusable. But many of their contemporaries advocated for slavery. These included several American Founding Fathers, as well as Kant, who believed in the hierarchy of races.

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The Enlightenment inspired the American Revolution -

As France allied itself with the 13 American colonies in the Revolutionary War, the Enlightenment had a profound impact on the look of the US government.

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The influence of the Enlightenment -

This influence can be seen in the 1776 Declaration of Independence, which identifies life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as basic human rights.

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'The Spirit of the Laws' -

These rights, along with the separation of powers as outlined by Montesquieu's 1748 text 'The Spirit of the Laws,' were further enshrined in the US Constitution.

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A contradiction -

The US adopted the Enlightenment's contradictory ideas towards racial equality, and many landowners praised Rousseau's 'Social Contract,' while failing to apply its teachings to anyone of color.

Sources: (Mental Floss) (History) 

See also: What really happened during and following the French Revolution?

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