The middle class was most influenced by the Enlightenment period. This period promoted ideals of reason, freedom, and equality, which resonated with the rising middle class who sought political and social change. The Enlightenment helped pave the way for revolutions that challenged traditional power structures.
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The Enlightenment ideas had a broad influence, particularly on educated individuals, nobility, middle-class intellectuals, and members of the clergy. These ideas emphasized reason, scientific inquiry, individual rights, and the separation of church and state, attracting those who sought social, political, and intellectual progress.
John Locke is often considered one of the Enlightenment philosophers with the most impact on democracy. His ideas of natural rights, social contract, and limited government influenced the development of democratic principles and laid the foundation for modern democratic systems.
The middle class or bourgeoisie most supported the ideas of the Enlightenment. They valued reason, science, and individual rights, which were central themes of the Enlightenment movement. The middle class played a key role in spreading these ideas and challenging traditional authority during this period.
The philosophes primarily belonged to the bourgeoisie, which was the middle class during the Enlightenment. They were educated individuals who came from various professions such as lawyers, physicians, writers, and scholars. Some philosophes also came from the nobility or clergy.
The American Revolution was most inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment. The movement emphasized concepts such as individual rights, liberty, and representative government, which influenced the American colonists in their quest for independence from British rule. The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution reflect these Enlightenment ideals.