enlightenment thinkers 1685–1815

voltaire

• Believed in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and tolerance

• Criticized the Catholic Church and absolutism

locke

• Believed all people have natural rights: life, liberty, and property

• Government’s job is to protect those rights

• If it doesn’t? → People can overthrow it

• Inspired liberalism and modern democracy (and later, the U.S. and French Revolutions)

rousseau

• Believed people are born good, but society corrupts them

• General will = what’s best for everyone, even if some disagree

• Supported direct democracy

• Big on equality and criticized inequality caused by modern society

montesquieu

• Believed government power should be divided into branches:
  Legislative, Executive, and Judicial

• This prevents any one group from becoming too powerful (checks and balances)

• Influenced the structure of many modern governments (like the U.S. Constitution)