Student Question
When did the Enlightenment end?
Quick answer:
The Enlightenment arguably ended around 1789 with the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon. The movement began in France around the mid-seventeenth century. It was an era marked by freethinking philosophers who believed that reason, not religious thought, should govern European societies.
Historians do not agree on the exact dates of the Age of Enlightenment in Europe. The movement was widespread and primarily philosophical in nature. It had its origins in Europe, initially in France, but later spread to England, America, and other parts of the world. Historians attempting to pin down the precise parameters on a timeline generally place the beginnings of the movement in the mid-1600s and say it continues through the better part of the eighteenth century, until the French Revolution in 1789 and the Napoleonic Era.
Examining the roots of the Enlightenment helps to determine its ultimate end date. Following the ancient eras of classical Greece and Rome, the fall of the Roman Empire, and the rise of Christianity, Europe entered what is known as the Middle Ages. It was a time of several great challenges. Europeans struggled for survival under difficult economic conditions. Society faced ongoing dangers,...
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since no powerful central authority had yet emerged. Perhaps the most significant challenge came in the form of the relationship of human beings with their God. Scholars and ordinary citizens alike became obsessed with God’s purpose for the world, and Western Europe moved toward more theocratic forms of government to free people from their hardships.
In a democracy, an idea stemming from Ancient Greece, control of governments is placed in the hands of the people or their representatives. In a theocracy, the general belief is that God rules. Thus, for a thousand years, Europe saw the frequent crowning of kings and emperors claiming divinity and a Papacy that ruled Europe spiritually as Christianity spread. However, with the onset of the Renaissance and humanism, European society returned to a focus on the Classical eras of Greece and Rome and on human beings, and the primary focus on religious tenets to govern political entities began to dissipate. Great philosophical thinkers started to infiltrate Western beliefs, and by 1650, Europe moved into an Age of Reason, or the Enlightenment, and theocratic ideas became more unpopular. Philosophy and science emerged as powerful social and political forces.
Beginning with John Locke, ideas quickly spread through Europe as Enlightenment momentum was on the rise during the eighteenth century. Philosophers like Descartes, Diderot, Hume, Rousseau, Voltaire, and Kant collectively sought to restrict the power of religion over politics through the use of reason.
Since Enlightenment ideas emphasized the rights of common citizens over the ruling elite classes, the rational ideals set forth by philosophical thought fanned the flames of revolution. In 1789, the French Revolution began and the king and queen were ousted and executed. However, the freedom sought by the Enlightenment thinkers was short lived. Napoleon Bonaparte assumed power as emperor in France, the Napoleonic Wars began, and the Age of Enlightenment was effectively over. The period thus lasted from approximately 1650 until 1789.