5.1 Context for Revolution

Enlightenment ideas set the stage

By the 18th century, Enlightenment thinkers like Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu spread new ideas: natural rights, popular sovereignty, social contract theory, and separation of powers. These ideas challenged absolute monarchy and divine right, arguing government's legitimacy came from the consent of the governed, not birth or religion.

Economic and social pressures

Growing taxation to fund wars, widening gaps between rich and poor, and the rise of an educated middle class (bourgeoisie) created resentment toward rigid social hierarchies. Meanwhile, joint-stock companies and expanding capitalism gave merchants wealth without political power, fueling demands for reform.

Print culture and connected revolutions

The spread of printing presses, pamphlets, and newspapers circulated revolutionary ideas across borders. Revolutions in this era were interconnected — the American Revolution inspired French revolutionaries, whose ideals later spread to Haiti and Latin America, showing how ideology and information traveled globally.

Key terms

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement emphasizing reason, natural rights, and government by consent, challenging absolute monarchy.

Popular sovereignty

The principle that political authority comes from the will of the people.

Bourgeoisie

The rising middle class of merchants and professionals who gained wealth but lacked political power.

Social contract

The theory that government legitimacy depends on an agreement between rulers and the ruled to protect natural rights.

Print culture's role

The spread of pamphlets and newspapers allowed revolutionary and Enlightenment ideas to circulate rapidly across regions.

Try an AP-style question

Which development most directly set the stage for the Atlantic revolutions?

1. The Mongol conquest of Persia
2. Enlightenment ideas about natural rights
3. The spread of the Black Death
4. The fall of Constantinople