The Enlightenment was a time of reason and rationalism. It was a movement started in Europe by the working middle class in an effort to gain freedom. After the thirty years war that began in 1618 Europeans had become fed up with mistreatment from the monarchs and the Catholic Church.

During the 17th and 18th centuries philosophers from the middle class began to use reason and common sense as a method for learning and explaining truth. Their main goal was to prove religion wrong. They believed that there where many other explanations for the reasons things occurred besides the answers provided by the clergy. They also wanted a different form of government and a separation of church and state. Their main thought was that society could be built on common sense and tolerance of others and their beliefs. The movement spread fast and became popular. Others developed their own type of Enlightenment which included the start of Romanticism and Skepticism. Romanticism was basically making any choice by emotion. The fall of Romanticism came quickly after the rise. Even one of the creators of this movement wrote a book denouncing it. Skepticism was the belief that the world belonged to the creator and only the creator knew the truth. This is where the word Skeptic came from.

The Enlightenment era ended with the French Revolution, but not without winning some battles. In 1688 the English Protestants overthrew the Catholic King James II and Protestants William and Mary took over. Also, a new bill of Rights, was installed giving the people more personal freedoms. The French Revolution ended The Enlightenment Era because it was such a failure. It started out as a war for freedom but brought about much anger and violence. The outcome proved to many that these people where not capable of being trusted to govern themselves.