A philosophical movement called the Enlightenment had prepared the ground for this age of revolution. The Enlightenment stretched roughly from the middle of the 17th century through the 18th century, beginning with the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries. The Enlightenment, with its writings on the social contract theory of the state, freedom of religion and conscience, constitutional government, and equality and democracy, was a driving force in the American and French revolutions.
Perhaps the most influential revolution was the one that happened in 1776. The American Revolution challenged the very idea of monarchy. The government this revolution established was based upon principles of the European Enlightenment: separation of powers, the will of the people, and contract theory. Tenets of English law also played a part. The American Revolution made Europeans question the basis on which they themselves were governed.
Inspired by the American Revolution, the French Revolution shocked continental Europe and its crowned heads. With no real popular representation, there was no way to gauge the mood of the French people in a time of hunger and economic stress. Louis XVI and his ministers remained indecisive as the National Assembly attempted to design a constitutional monarchy. Nobles' privileges were swept away, the King was deposed, France was declared a Republic. As the revolution moved into the Terror phase, it condemned the King and his queen, Marie Antoinette, to death and then killed its own leaders, Georges Danton and Maximilien Robespierre.
The Revolution ended in the hands of a brigadier general who would later crown himself and reign briefly as the Emperor Napoleon. Changes wrought by this revolution affected all of Europe: royal power would never be the same.
Additional resources for further exploration
“The Huexotzinco Codex” is a lesson plan from the Library of Congress for grades 3-5 and 6-8 that focuses on primary source analysis of pictograms created by native peoples of Puebla, Mexico in 1531. It includes complete instructions for preparation, procedures, and evaluation.
https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/huexotzinco-codex/
The link below focuses on absolutism from the 1500s to the 1700s and includes capsule information on rulers of the period in India, Spain, France, and Russia.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hSS9Hlj1zC7hBR7a0ZPpxAhBzRExfq0eIdHRJ9Xmr-Y/edit
