In the period known as
The Enlightenment,
Eighteenth century Europe saw remarkable cultural changes characterized by a loss of faith in traditional religious and political sources of authority and a turn toward
democracy,
human rights, and
science.
The upheavals of the Enlightenment led directly to the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolution and significantly influenced the Industrial Revolution.
Some of the most important figures of the Enlightenment are:
See also French materialism.