Which Enlightenment concept directly challenged the 'Divine Right of Kings' by suggesting that a government's power comes only from the consent of the people?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Popular Sovereignty
Popular sovereignty, championed by thinkers like Locke and Rousseau, argues that political authority resides in the people. This idea provided the moral and legal justification for revolutionaries to overthrow monarchies that failed to represent the will of the citizens.
Keep practicing
More Role of Enlightenment Ideas questions
- John Locke’s 'Two Treatises of Government' argued that if a government fails to protect 'life, liberty, and property,' the people have the…
- Baron de Montesquieu’s 'The Spirit of the Laws' influenced the structure of the U.S. Constitution primarily through his advocacy for:
- Which Enlightenment philosopher is most closely associated with the 'General Will,' an idea that influenced the more radical phases of the…
- Voltaire’s fierce advocacy for which principle significantly shaped the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?
- The American Declaration of Independence’s phrase 'Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness' is a direct modification of whose earlier l…
- How did the Enlightenment 'Encyclopédie,' edited by Denis Diderot, contribute to the onset of the French Revolution?