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Imagine you are a citizen in France in 1789. How might Enlightenment ideas influence the way you view King Louis XVI’s rule?(5 points)
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1) Rejects the divine right of kings — Enlightenment thinkers argued that a monarch’s authority isn’t automatic from God, so Louis’s absolute rule can be questioned.
2) Social contract and popular sovereignty (Rousseau/Locke) — government must have the consent of the governed; if the king violates that contract he can be resisted or reformed.
3) Natural rights — life, liberty and property must be protected; many would see Louis as failing to secure these for the Third Estate.
4) Separation of powers (Montesquieu) — concentrating legislative, executive and judicial power in the king looks arbitrary and prone to abuse; a constitution or assemblies should limit him.
5) Reason, progress and criticism of privilege (Voltaire, Diderot) — Enlightenment calls for rational reform, end of feudal privileges and fair taxation, so Louis appears out of touch or obstructing necessary change.
2) Social contract and popular sovereignty (Rousseau/Locke) — government must have the consent of the governed; if the king violates that contract he can be resisted or reformed.
3) Natural rights — life, liberty and property must be protected; many would see Louis as failing to secure these for the Third Estate.
4) Separation of powers (Montesquieu) — concentrating legislative, executive and judicial power in the king looks arbitrary and prone to abuse; a constitution or assemblies should limit him.
5) Reason, progress and criticism of privilege (Voltaire, Diderot) — Enlightenment calls for rational reform, end of feudal privileges and fair taxation, so Louis appears out of touch or obstructing necessary change.
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