What was one prominent feature of the French Revolution, influenced by Enlightenment thinkers?

A prominent feature of the French Revolution, heavily influenced by Enlightenment thinkers, was the concept of popular sovereignty. This idea emphasizes that the authority of the government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, typically expressed through a democratic process. Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau championed this notion, arguing that individuals have rights and that governments exist to protect those rights.

During the French Revolution, this principle inspired citizens to challenge the existing monarchical authority and assert their rights as the source of political power. The demand for democratic reforms and the establishment of a republic were direct manifestations of the belief in popular sovereignty, fundamentally altering France’s political landscape and influencing many other revolutions around the world that followed.

Other options do not align with the revolutionary ideals of the period; maintaining a monarchy or preferring hereditary rule contradicts the revolutionary push for a government accountable to the people, while the outright rejection of all forms of governance disregards the necessity of organized government in promoting freedom and rights, which Enlightenment thinkers believed should be structured to reflect the will of the people.