Cultural and Technological Changes of the Enlightenment

The sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries brought many changes in the arts, literature, and political philosophy to Europe. Johann Sebastian Bach was best known as a Baroque composer of dramatic symphonies. In contrast, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a child prodigy and wrote several Classical symphonies and operas. Voltaire was a political philosopher who promoted religious tolerance and wrote satire about current society.

Eugene Delacroix - Liberty Leading the People

New forms of literature evolved, such as the novel, the first known example of which was Cervantes’ Don Quixote. Paintings depicted classical subjects, public events, natural sciences, and living people in portraits. Eugene Delacroix’s famous painting “Liberty Leading the People” showed the transition of classical art to romantic art with the dramatic vision of the French Revolution.

The Age of Reason witnessed inventions and innovations in technology that stimulated trade and transportation. All-weather roads improved year-round transport and trade. New designs in farm tools increased productivity which resulted in the British Agricultural Revolution. In addition, improvements in ship design lowered the cost of transport, so more goods could be traded throughout the world.

As Europeans embraced these social changes, the French people, in particular, were inspired to replace their government with one that reflected these new ideas. The result was the French Revolution.