The enlightenment is an apparent influence from the onset. Rousseau stated “men are born free yet everywhere they are in chains” (J.Merriman (1996) Pg416). This was an assertion against the Ancien Regime, where birth rights distinguished citizens; peasants had no opportunity to improve their social strata due to the high poverty and oppression. Possibly the most liberating clause out of the declaration, was the concept of popular sovereignty. It was considered that absolute power should no longer reside in the hands of the Monarch. Instead, sovereignty would rest with the nation, giving the citizens the opportunity to exercise their power.
There are some clauses that centre wholly on the enlightenment movement. To liberate a nation required certain minimal restrictions. In 1762 Rousseau had published the Social Contract. Within it Rousseau outlined that, “human beings agree to an implicit Social Contract which gave them certain rights, in return for giving up certain freedoms” (J.Hunt (1998) Pg7). This inferred that people have the right to life, in return for giving up the freedom to kill others. Release also arrived for religion. People were free to follow their chosen beliefs, signalling the end of exclusive Catholicism. Deism was being introduced. In particular, Voltaire believed that although the “universe was created by God; it was then left to operate accordingly to scientific law” (Merriman (1996) Pg407). This then paved the way for a variety of other religious orders to be introduced. The enlightenment had also been subjected to silencing through strict censorship, this had now been lifted. Opinions of every citizen were deemed as valid. Every citizen now had the basic right to freely express their opinion in any fashion they chose, on the condition that it did not disturb public order. Voltaire was also an avid campaigner of the freedom of speech. Under this freedom citizens were permitted to have a voice in determining the necessity for public contributions. Necessity for these contributions came in the form of funding public force and government expenditure. Further more, they had the liberty of deciding the appropriation, amount and duration of these tax contributions.
Although the enlightenment provided a different perception to the nations thinking, one thought remained pivotal and that was to put an end to the Ancien regime. Therefore clauses were also included to incite this. Future political associations that were to govern France had to ensure that they respected the fundamental rights of liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression. Their position was to uphold these rights and not take advantage, as demonstrated previously by the King. Another subject that came under scrutiny, which was exploited by the Ancien Regime, was the judicial system. The Lettres de Cachet were to be abolished. These sealed letters issued by the King, in which citizens were named and arrested to be subsequently imprisoned without trial, could no longer be used as a privilege by the King. Under the declaration a citizen would first have to break the law before being arrested. After which they would then face either the Justice of the Peace, or if it was a major crime, the District Court. Another problem under the Ancien Regime was that the treasury was experiencing a financial crisis. Although a previous clause had addressed the necessity for tax, a major issue was the current disproportioned tax collection system. Therefore, steps were taken to divide this burden equally among citizens and evaluating it accordingly to an individual’s ability. This was a main accomplishment that the bourgeois wanted to achieve. Another feat the bourgeois wanted to attain was that citizens’ property had to be made sacrosanct. As it had stood, the King was able to take possession of any property he sought, regardless to the fact that the previous occupants would effectively become homeless.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizens was designed to put an end to the Ancien Regime. Its replacement was to be a uniformed government, decentralising the power and allocating it to local governments. This much improved government was to have a humanitarian theme, emphasis in putting an end to cruelty, superstition and poverty by applying the principles of the declaration. The declaration also wanted to introduce and end to conflict. Most wars were declared by Kings, based on the desire for more land. The citizens of France were content with the quantity of land they inhabited. However, clauses which addressed this issue could have been prompted by Necker. In 1781, the king’s financial minister Necker issued the Compte Rendu, a statement indicating the vast expenditure in wartime compared to the more practical expenditure in peacetime. For these changes to take place it was apparent that they needed to change from that of absolute monarchy to take a more constitutional form.
