The Enlightment was a new idealistic and intellectual movement in the Eighteenth Century that pursued progress for humanity through religious, political and social reforms. I strongly agree with the fact that the Enlightment was essentially the product of educated European men and women who wrote about real problems of the world to an exclusive audience that eventually involved all social classes.
Although the Enlightment was born in the salons of France, it rapidly spread across Europe and eventually to Great Britain’s North American colonies. For that reason, I do not completely agree with the statement from the assignment prompt that states “that the Enlightment was essentially the product of educated French men…” The Enlightment flourished in places such as France where people were tired of a tyrannical monarchy and were in search for a representative government that respected and guaranteed individual’s freedom. Shortly, philosophes from Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Poland, and Austria joined the French in their effort to encourage reforms and freedom (Hunt, 596). Unified by these ideas, the philosophes spread knowledge through hand-written letters, printed books and pamphlets that encouraged reform in every aspect of their lives. These ideas changed the way in which citizens became more aware of the real problems of their countries and governments became more accountable for their action; in countries such as Britain and France, ordinary people rebelled when the government failed to protect them (Hunt, 610). Across from the Atlantic Ocean in the North American colonies, oppositional public opinion grew strongly towards the British crown; the empowerment gained from Enlightment ideas and the change to make life better, let to the American War of Independence. The freedom gained from the American independence meant a triumph for the Enlightment ideas and the long-searched progress of its philosophes (Hunt, 612).
Moreover, I do not fully agree with the statement from the assignment prompt that stated that only educated men were authors of philosophical tracts for an exclusive audience. Women played an important role in the Enlightment movement by sponsoring informal gatherings with efforts to promote new ideas outside the court and the church-controlled universities. These gatherings provoked aversion and criticism from men who saw as the power of women grew quickly (Hunt, 590). Furthermore, the audience of the Enlightment tracts was initially educated elites and enlightened rulers who knew how to read and who were participants in political, religious and social events. However, citizens from the middle class saw the Enlightment as an opportunity to become intellectual and cultured in order to socially improve their lives. They bought Enlightment books that encouraged them to pursue a more constitutional government and get rid of a corrupt tyrannical monarchy. For instance, these ideas were reflected in “Acnedotes sur Mme la comtesse du Barry” where the author delighted “both the austere philosopher, and the frivolous reader, exciting the one to reflection and affording an agreeable pastime to the other” by exposing the nature of the political system that surrounded Madame du Barry and how naughtiness was at the top of the monarchy (Pidasant de Mairobet, 338). Close to the 1780s, not only middle class people were benefited by the reading of pamphlets and books; lower class people saw an increase in literacy allowing them to participate in new ideas and culture (Hunt, 604)