Montesquieu and Voltaire

Montesquieu and Voltaire

Chapter 5

Lesson Objectives

• Characterize the ideas of Montesquieu and Voltaire

• Explain how the French ruling class tried to keep the message of the Enlightenment from reaching most French people

• Explain the importance of the Encyclopedia

1700s France

• Freedom of speech was not allowed

• Citizens who spoke out against the monarch or his court could be sent to Bastille

• Enlightenment thinkers still persisted

Montesquieu

• Born Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu

• Traveled around Europe to see different governments in England and Italy

• Read a lot about ancient and medieval times and Chinese and Native cultures in America

• Came to the conclusion that France was in trouble

Opinions About France

• Most people suffering from poverty and injustice

• Strict social order enforced by the clergy and the monarchy allowed no change

• Could NOT openly criticize the French government or the Church

• Wrote The Persian Letters under the guise of two Persian travelers named Usbek and Rica

The Persian Letters

• Non-citizens could speak freely about the French government, while Montesquieu, a citizen, could not because he could be arrested and sent to the Bastille

• While pretending to be Persian travelers, Montesquieu could be critical of the French government and highlighted harsh truths about the monarchy and French court

• People soon found out that Montesquieu was the author

Multiple Choice

What was Montesquieu's purpose in writing The Persian Letters?

• to promote friendship between Persia and Fronce

• To encourage Persian travelers to visit France

• To criticize French and society

• To encourage a revolution in Paris

Separation of Powers

• Wrote The Spirit of the Laws under his own name

• Believes in limiting the power of the ruler and protecting the rights of the people

• Proposed separation of powers so now single branch of government has too much power

• Legislative Branch = Makes the laws

• Executive Branch = Enforces the laws

• Judicial Branch = Interprets the laws

Montesquieu's Beliefs

• Separation of Powers

• Slavery is "the most shocking violation of nature"

• Did not call for rebellion or democracy

• wanted peaceful, modest reforms that would make people's lives better

Multiple Choice

Which of Montesquieu's ideas influence the organization of the U.S. government, as outlined in the Constitution?

• A government needs strict laws to keep people in order

• The use of reason helps people understand the world

• A separation of powers will keep any one branch of government from becoming too strong

• People must question everything except their own existence

Voltaire

François-Marie Arouet

Bastille

• Originally built to be a military fortress to protect Paris

• Later became a royal prison

• People who displeased the government would be sent here

Voltaire

• Imprisoned in Bastille for nearly a year in 1717

• Arrested for making fun of the French government in his writings

• Continued writing critiques of the French government under the pseudonym Voltaire

Multiple Choice

Why did Voltaire write under a pen name?

• He could get in trouble for speaking against the French monarchy

• He did not think anyone would buy a book he had written

• He was embarrassed by his ideas

• French noblemen were not allowed to write books

Voltaire's Beliefs

• Wanted to improve society

• Very citical of greedy officials, lazy nobles, and evil institutions

• Hated slavery and religious intolerance

• His remarks made the ruling class of France seem foolish

French Government Reactions

• Mostly ignored Montesquieu's criticisms because he was a noble

• However, they would not tolerate Voltaire's comments

• Voltaire was a commoner, so his comments could not be allowed

• Voltaire was forced to flee to England in 1726

Time in England

• Exposed him to the limited monarchy in England and studied the works of Newton and Locke

• Became certain that France faced serious problems

• "In this country [England] it is possible to use one's mind freely and nobly, without fear of cringing."

• Returned to France and wrote Letters on the English and praised England for its science, philosophy, and government that protected the rights of the people

Free Speech

• Continued to write books and plays out of his estate at Ferney

• Spoke out against censorship, ignorance, and injustice

• "I do not agree with a word that you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it!"

Multiple Choice

Which of the following did Voltaire most value?

• An orderly society with strictly enforced laws

• The freedom to express one's opinions

• Living according to the religious teachings of the Church

• Loyalty to the crown

Philosophes

• Free thinkers would meet in small, private groups known as salons

• These people became known as philosophes

• Discussed ways to achieve a fairer socierty

• Voltaire and other philosophes wrote and published the Encyclopedia

• Philosophes were upper and middle class

Encyclopedia

• Over 30 volumes (books) published over 20 years

• Summed up the major ideas and discoveries of the Enlightenment

Multiple Choice

The French philosophes were

• scholars and thinkers who considered ways to achieve a better society

• Monarchs who refused to give up total control

• peasants and poor farmers who launched a revolt against the monarchy

• Noble men and women of the French court

Enlightenment Reaches the People

• Enlightenment ideas did not reach the ordinary people of Paris until the late 1700s

• It then spread from the city to the rural villages where peasants worked extremely hard and paid high taxes - just as they always had

• The masses would begin to question the way things were and began to believe that the royals had failed them