Explain the role of philosophers in French revolution.
The philosophers played an important role during the French Revolution. With their revolutionary ideas, they inspired the common mass of France and prepared them to fight against injustices. In the Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu proposed a division of power within the government between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary. Rousseau carried the idea forward proposing a form of government based on a social contract between people and their representatives. The philosophers did not believe in the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch. In his Two Treatises of Government, John Locke refuted this doctrine strongly. The ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee-houses. It was spread among people through newspapers and books. These were frequently read aloud in groups for the benefit of those who were illiterate. Thus, the philosophers contributed a lot in bringing of the French Revolution.