Question

How did the Enlightenment contribute to changes in government systems?

Answer 1

Enlightenment thinkers such as Thomas Paine, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Montesquieu developed governmental theories.

These governmental theories such as 'social contract', 'natural rights', and 'separation of powers' all influence government systems in modern times by providing a pathway, or base, for the ideas presented in our U.S. Constitution.

It is suspected that the founding fathers borrowed many ideas introduced in the Enlightenment -- For instance, separation of powers was an idea developed by Charles Montesquieu. It stated that political power should be separated amongst multiple so that no one could assume complete power over government. This idea was borrowed and is the basis of our U.S. government today.

Answer 2

The Enlightenment led to the formation of new ideas of government where "rulers and rule" don't exist, but a government where people are able to govern themselves by choosing their leaders who are capable of handling power. This led to people getting new ideas and improving those ideas about government and these people were called Enlightenment thinkers. These people contributed to the formation of the U.S. government itself and they contributed to the improvement of many aspects of the U.S. government like criminal punishment.