Advocates of the Enlightenment regarded themselves as fearless cultural pioneers, believing that the purpose of the Enlightenment was to lead the world out of a period full of traditional teachings, irrationality, blind faith and autocracy (this period is usually called the dark period). Cultural critics, religious skeptics and political reformers of this era are all pioneers of the Enlightenment, but they are just a loose, informal and completely unorganized alliance. At that time, the center of enlightenment knowledge was Paris, and French was the language of enjoyment.

The Enlightenment provided a framework for the American War of Independence and the French Revolution, and led to the rise of capitalism and socialism, which was the same period as the Baroque period in the history of music and the neoclassicism period in the history of art.

In French? Enlightenment? What does the original intention mean? Bright? . At that time, advanced thinkers believed that people were still in darkness, and we should use the light of reason to dispel the darkness and lead people to the light. They wrote books, criticized absolutism and religious ignorance, and advocated freedom, equality and democracy. so this is it？ Enlightenment? . The Enlightenment was an anti-feudal and anti-church ideological and cultural revolutionary movement in Europe in 17 and 18 centuries, which made ideological preparations and propaganda for the bourgeois revolution.

The center of the Enlightenment is in France. The leader of the French Enlightenment was Voltaire. His thoughts had a great influence on Europe in the18th century, so later people once said that18th century was Voltaire's century. ?

Literally speaking, the Enlightenment is a movement of enlightening ignorance, opposing ignorance and advocating the popularization of culture and education. But in essence, it is a movement to publicize bourgeois political ideology, not just a literary movement. It is the continuation and development of bourgeois anti-feudalism, anti-asceticism and anti-church struggle during the Renaissance, which directly laid the ideological foundation for 1789 French Revolution. Enlightenment thinkers further proved the theoretical irrationality of feudal system from humanists, and thus put forward a set of philosophical theories, political programs and social reform programs, demanding the establishment of a? Rational? One is based on. They use political freedom to oppose tyranny, freedom of belief to oppose religious oppression, deism and atheism to destroy Catholic authority and religious idols, and use? Natural rights? Against the slogan? Sacred right? Opinion, use? Everyone is equal before the law? To oppose the hierarchical privilege of the nobility, and then establish a bourgeois regime.

The cause of the Enlightenment With the deepening of the contradiction between capitalism and feudal absolutism, the struggle of the French emerging bourgeoisie against feudal rule and church privileges in the ideological field also started rapidly, which is the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment is the second great ideological emancipation movement in European history after the Renaissance. Enlightenment is to enlighten and inspire people's anti-feudal consciousness, bring light and hope to people who are still in the dark, oppose obscurantism, absolutism and religious superstition, break old traditional concepts and spread new ideas and concepts.

The Enlightenment has developed for a century, and its enlightenment thoughts involve religion, philosophy, ethics, politics, economy, literature and art, history, aesthetics, education and other fields. A large number of famous figures have emerged and spread to many European countries, including Addison, Steele and Pope in Britain, Mendelssohn and Lessing in Germany, Vico in Italy, belinsky, herzen and Chernyshevski in Russia. But the center of the Enlightenment was in France. Under the influence of the famous French philosopher Descartes, Boolean? Bell (1647? 1706) applied Descartes' rationalism to religion and theology for the first time, thinking that the light of rationality shines on everyone, and using skepticism as a weapon, he advocated rationality, doubted religion, attacked religious theology, pointed out the hypocrisy and deception of the church and broke the blind obedience of obscurantism advocated by the church. Bell became the pioneer of the French Enlightenment. By the middle of the18th century, the Enlightenment reached its climax, and a large number of ideological giants emerged one after another. Among them, Voltaire, Montesquieu, Rousseau and the Encyclopedia School headed by Diderot and condorcet were the most important enlightenment thinkers. They launched a brave attack on feudal forces and church forces from all directions, tirelessly spreading progressive ideas, opening people's minds and awakening sleeping people to fight feudalism and privilege. Enlightenment, as a mature anti-feudal and anti-church progressive trend of thought, entered the historical stage, which not only created public opinion for the later political revolution, but also created a high level of spiritual civilization for France.

The influence and historical contribution of the Enlightenment.

(1) launched a fierce attack on the feudal autocracy and its spiritual fortress, the Catholic Church.

(2) Looking forward to and depicting the blueprint of the future capitalist society,

(3) This ideological emancipation movement, which lasted for nearly a hundred years, opened up the wisdom of the people and made ideological and theoretical preparations for the bourgeois revolution in Europe and America.

(4) This movement spread all over the world and became a powerful social trend of thought, which contributed to the national liberation struggle.

World influence

1, which made ideological and theoretical preparations for the bourgeoisie to gain a dominant position.

2. Fully prepared for the French Revolution.

3. Enlightened people's thoughts and shook the feudal rule.

4. Inspired people with lofty ideals in China, Japanese and other Asian countries to fight for the transformation of the old society.

5. Let the concept of democracy and harmony be deeply rooted in people's hearts.

6. Promote the progress of modern science and technology.

The Influence of the Enlightenment on China The Enlightenment first made full ideological preparations for the French Revolution. The ideas of natural human rights, separation of powers, freedom, equality, democracy and legal system promoted bourgeois revolution and reform. It also has a great influence on Asian countries after 19 century, such as encouraging a group of people with lofty ideals in China and Japan to fight for social transformation.