How did the Enlightenment change Western civilization Why was it so influential - Essay Example

How did the Enlightenment change Western civilization? Why was it so influential? The enlightenment period has been described as one of the necessary steps in the human history. This period was instrumental in various ways in the 18th century and beyond. There were various changes that were witnessed in this period that helped in the transformation of Western civilization. Before this era, human society was experiencing little freedom. Therefore, there was a need for some changes in some reforms that occurred in political and social realm.

There are various ways in which Enlightenment changed western civilization. First, the period saw recognition of the importance of education especially in science. Most of the societies gained knowledge and skills and were able to be well informed of issues that affected them. The new knowledge gave room for people to share an opinion in what was known as “public opinion”. The opinion helped in shaping social and political issues, and more reforms were introduced. Moreover, people were now able to fight for their rights and resist oppression from aristocrats and church.

The new knowledge was also transformed into an Industrial Revolution that changed people lives through jobs and growth of cities, as well as towns. In addition, awareness of people rights led to further changes. It led to the creation of most representative societies as well as the government. It is also at this period that the power of the church was significantly reduced. The church power was diminished as it begun to be separated from affairs of the state. At this period, some form of democracy begun to emerge in various countries such as United States.

The period was influential because of various things. The first thing is because people had been oppressed for a long time and the period provided ways of overcoming such challenge. Secondly, people became more knowledgeable and hence were more aware of their rights such as political participation.