Importance Of The Enlightenment

The Enlightenment is a vitally important historical period because it was the time when many major changes occurred in the society and life of many people changed, additionally the ideas and values of the Enlightenment have inspired the current way of how the community is functioning. Natural law that was invented during the Scientific Revolution inspired many people to think in other ways and to try to understand social, economical and political problems better. People realised that reforms were essential to achieve a just society. Unlike during the Middle Ages when people accepted the way their society was governed by a divine-ruler, under the Age of Reason people stared to question the major power in their lives because they were inspired

However some monarchs accepted the philosophers ideas and were inspired by them to implement reforms that benefit the entire nation. One of these was Frederick the second, known as Frederick The Great, the king of Prussia who saw himself as the “first servant of the state”. During his time the use of torture was reduced and free press was allowed. Additionally he tolerated religious differences and welcomed victims of religious persecution. This influenced people who lived both in Prussia and outside of it because they now had a county who welcomed them regardless of their religion beliefs. Another important Enlightened despot was Maria Theresa who worked to improve the life of peasants. Her son Joseph the second, also known as the most radical of the enlightened depots who supported religious equality for Protestants and Jews in his Catholic Empire. He allowed freedom of speech and ended censorship to give people the opportunity to express and spread their ideas. This influences peoples way of life and the life standards rose to some extent. People could feel more secure and treated more like individuals instead of as an entire mob. Changes were happening slow, but slow changes are better than no changes so it was still a step towards a more just society where people would be more equal than they were before. The

During the French Revolution women fought for their political rights because they felt that injustice and inequality gap between men and women became too large to be tolerated and that they needed to take action and stand up for what they believed in. During the Enlightenment when men were granted certain natural right, the women’s right were limited to their homes where they spent the most time of the day. Already then some women dared to stand up for their opinions regardless the resistance that they were facing. A group of women protested against this terrible injustice based on gender, but unfortunately they did not succeed to reach their goal but they inspired future generations and other women to do what they did, to dare to fight for their rights. Wollstonecraft, an ambitious woman from Britain refused to accept the fact that women could not do anything without depending on their husbands. In 1792 she published Vindication of Woman in which she agued that women should be granted the same education as men, because according to her it was the only way to reach equality between women and men. After the establishment of The French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen which made man more privileged than they were before because they now had more rights than women de jure and was not equal in any way. This of course, made some women offended and disappointed and gave others the will to reform. One of these was Olyme De Gouges who demanded equal rights for