The most influential Enlightenment thinkers were Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Voltaire, Baron de Montesquieu and Jean Jacques Rousseau.
Thomas Hobbes had strong theories on government. He believed that man was "greedy, selfish and cruel". In his book Leviathan, he stated that "life would be a state of constant warfare without a strong government to control man's natural impulses". He wanted people to sign social contracts in which they traded freedoms for an organized society. He believed in an absolute monarch. He did not believe in revolutions.
John Locke believed "that people could be reasonable and moral". He believed in man's natural rights of "Life, Liberty and Property" which he explained in his book Two Treatises of Government. He felt the government should protect these natural rights. He believed in revolutions if the government did not protect these rights.
Voltaire wrote about "freedom of speech". His most notable quote is "I do not agree with a word you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". This means that he believed in "freedom of speech". He fought against government corruption and religious intolerance.
Baron de Montesquieu's book The Spirit of the Laws states that governments should be divided into three branches: Judicial, Legislative and Executive. He believed that each branch would "Check and Balance" the other to protect the liberties of the people. The government of the United States also uses "Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances".
Jean Jacques Rousseau's book The Social Contract states his beliefs that "people were basically good". He believed that society's
"unequal distribution of wealth" was the cause of most of the problems. He also believed in what he referred to as the "General Will" which called for the government to be ran by the "will of majority" and that will would be "in the best interest of the people".
"unequal distribution of wealth" was the cause of most of the problems. He also believed in what he referred to as the "General Will" which called for the government to be ran by the "will of majority" and that will would be "in the best interest of the people".
The ideas of the Enlightenment Period of "individualism and equal rights" led to the American Revolution (Watkins).