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Did the Enlightenment’s ideas cause the Revolution in France? One of the most important events in history was the French Revolution in 1789-1795. France was considered the most powerful state in Europe although the Revolution lead it to many changes. The changes were caused by the influence of the ideas of the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment ideas that influenced the French Revolution were the philosophy and scientific stage. The emergence of the Enlightenment came in 1750, after the death of Louis XVI and the publication of Newton’s Principia (www.mrdowling.com/705french.html). Many Enlightenment scientists including Pierre Bayle (1647-1706) despised Louis XIV absolute monarchy and was skeptical about the claims of organized religion (McKay, Hill, Buckler, 1999, p. 606). While all of the new thinkers proposed a new outlook on life, it was a group of intellectuals called the philosophers that was the most influential.
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