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What important belief did writings like Voltaire's impart to the people who started the Atlantic revolutions?

a) That they should respect ancient institutions and traditional practices of government
b) That they should allow the censorship of publications that did not support the government
c) That they should read for themselves poetry and philosophy derived from classical sources
d) That they should decide for themselves whether their governments were working for their interests

User Jonas Kohl
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Final answer:

Enlightenment writers like Voltaire encouraged people to think critically about their governments and assert their right to self-governance, laying the ideological groundwork for the Atlantic revolutions.option d is correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

The important belief that writings like Voltaire's imparted to the people who started the Atlantic revolutions was that they should decide for themselves whether their governments were working for their interests.

During the time of the Bourbon Era, the creole elite adopted Enlightenment ideas primarily because those ideas justified their desire for more social and political authority. Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke, Voltaire, and Montesquieu introduced concepts that undermined the absolute power of monarchies and advocated for a society based on reason, natural law, and a separation of governmental powers. These thinkers played a pivotal role in shaping the ideologies of the American and French Revolutions.

For instance, Locke's belief in natural rights laid the foundation for the argument that if a government did not protect these rights, it could be rightfully overthrown. Voltaire's satire and criticism of the established church and monarchy in France contributed to spreading the notion of religious toleration and freedom of speech.

User Zackary Parsons
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