Question

how did the ideas of the enlightenment influence the french people in the years leading up to the french revolution?

a. napoleon bonapartes victory at borodino persuaded them to believe that a powerful central ruler was necessary to stabilize the country.

b. jean - jacques rousseaus the social contract persuaded them to view practices like inherited privilege and absolute monarchy as irrational.

c. louis xvis formation of the estates general persuaded them to view the national debt and tax rates as the most important issues of the time.

d. maximilien de robespierres reign of terror persuaded them to believe that killing the king was necessary to legitimize the government.

Explanation:

The Enlightenment emphasized reason, equality, and individual rights. Rousseau's The Social Contract challenged traditional power - structures like inherited privilege and absolute monarchy which were prevalent in pre - revolutionary France. Napoleon's victory at Borodino was after the French Revolution. Louis XVI's formation of the Estates General and Robespierre's Reign of Terror are events during the French Revolution, not Enlightenment influences leading up to it.

Answer:

B. Jean - Jacques Rousseau's The Social Contract persuaded them to view practices like inherited privilege and absolute monarchy as irrational.