Summary of Events. The Enlightenment was a sprawling intellectual, philosophical, cultural, and social movement that spread through England, France, Germany, and other parts of Europe during the 1700s. The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, however, opened a path for independent thought, and the fields of mathematics, astronomy, physics, politics, economics, philosophy, and medicine were drastically updated and expanded. The amount of new knowledge that emerged was staggering. In addition to the French, there was a very significant Scottish Enlightenment (key figures were Francis Hutcheson, David Hume, Adam Smith, and Thomas Reid) and a very significant German Enlightenment (die Aufklaerung, aufklärung key figures of which Include Christian, Wolff Moses, Mendelssohn.G. E lessing And Immanuel). kant Though it is typical of the Enlightenment thinkers of the eighteenth century (for example Voltaire in his Letters on the English Nation, 1734) to embrace Newton's physical system in preference to Descartes', Newton's system itself depends on Descartes' earlier work, a dependence of which Newton himself was aware. The Enlightenment. The Enlightenment, sometimes referred to as the Age of Reason, was a confluence of ideas and activities that took place throughout the eighteenth century in Western Europe, England, and the American colonies. In Europe, Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were the torchbearers of Enlightenment literature and philosophy. Rousseau was a strong advocate for social reform of all kinds. The 18th century is known as the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason. Historians do not necessarily cut off historic periods strictly by dates, and the portion of the 18th century known as the Age of Reason generally refers to the period from 1715 through 1789.  The significance of the enlightenment was the movement of European  ideas from the later 17th century to the later 18th century. The increase in transportation was the most significant effect of the Industrial Revolution. 12 people found this useful. Edit. Share to: 1  The History of Fort Lee Virginia Fort Lee in Virginia goes a long way back in American history. Earlier philosophers whose work influenced the Enlightenment included Francis Bacon, Descartes, Locke, and Spinoza. The major figures of the Enlightenment included Voltaire, Denis Diderot, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, David Hume, Adam Smith, and Immanuel Kant. The ideas of the Enlightenment undermined the authority of the monarchy and the church, and prepared the way for the revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries. A variety of 19th-century movements, including liberalism and neo-classicism, trace their intellectual heritage back to the Enlightenment. The Age of Enlightenment was in vogue during the 18th century, but its watermark still lingers on many of the world's most important documents. In fact, without it, the United States as we know it would likely not exist today. Democracy and equality were of great importance to the thinkers of the Enlightenment, who were dissatisfied with the mooching and prestige of the aristocratic social tier. The effect of all this would having a lasting impact on the face of the world as we know it. On the surface, the most apparent cause of the Enlightenment was the Thirty Years’ War. This horribly destructive war, which lasted from 1618 to 1648, compelled German writers to pen harsh criticisms regarding the ideas of nationalism and warfare.  -It provided the intellectual spark for the American and French Revolutions. -It marked an end to the humanism that had developed during the Renaissance. -It forced the individual to recognize that God is supremely powerful. -It...  I read...a lot. The significance of the enlightenment was the movement of European  ideas from the later 17th century to the later 18th century. It was  a very important time that gave us a … ll individual freedom, and  individual rights for the common people. The increase in transportation was the most significant effect of the Industrial Revolution. 12 people found this useful. Edit. Share to: 1  The History of Fort Lee Virginia Fort Lee in Virginia goes a long way back in American history.
http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/enlightenment/context.html http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/enlightenment/ http://www.online-literature.com/periods/enlightenment.php http://sageamericanhistory.net/colonies_empire/topics/enlighten.htm http://www.answers.com/Q/Which_was_the_most_significant_effect_of_the_European_Enlightenment_period https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment http://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/impact-age-of-enlightenment.htm http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/enlightenment/summary.html https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080929134737AAOL6Z9 http://www.answers.com/Q/Which_was_the_most_significant_effect_of_the_European_Enlightenment_period
which was the most significant effect of the european enlightenment period