One of the key ideas of the Enlightenment having a profound effect on the modern west world is the idea of popular government. According to this idea, there exists no need in the special social class of aristocracy, and common people are able to exercise rule over themselves. The expansion of this idea led to significant political and social changes in the society. People acquired freedom enabling them to improve their lives in a considerable way and become more protected both politically and economically. Of course, the idea of popular government also had some negative impact. This is explained by people’s imbalanced approach to implementing this idea. However, this negative impact soon became a part of history. Overall, evaluating the influence that the idea of popular government spread during the period of the Enlightenment had on people and their life, it appears that it considerably improved the situation for general public in the western world.
The idea of popular government was in establishing new democratic standards for rule over people. This idea was in the elimination of the special social class of aristocracy on the reason of its uselessness. Enlighteners were preaching the message of freedom and democracy to the common people of the land. They explained that aristocrats oppressed their people when they demanded exorbitant taxes. Aristocrats were also shown as enslavers, subjugators, and captors who robbed people of their freedom. Nobility developed a number of strategies enabling its cushioned existence without any unnecessary stresses and inconveniences whereas common people could not even dream of becoming a part of a middle class.
Being inspired by the idea of popular government bringing people freedom and democratic opportunities, the citizens of the countries of the west became the first people to dethrone monarchy, and exterminate it form the biggest part of their territories. This enabled new ways of development including incredible economical, business and industrial development. For the first time in the history of the western world and the world itself (but for Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire) people received an opportunity to directly improve their own life adopting new legislation. Due to the possibility of making legal decisions, people created the best and the most advantageous conditions for business. As a result, the standards of living significantly improved for the general public which established basis for creating a new social layer of the middle class. This new class became a basis for further progress in all of the important areas of human life including business, economy, industry, science and technological development. This was a way for the countries of the west to become the most developed countries in the world. Important is the fact that the western countries are still the major players in the world due to their timely transition to a more effective form of exercising political power in the country.
Of course, there were some negative consequences of spreading the idea of popular government. However, these consequences can be hardly listed among serious problems. The major negative development in the society was extremely negative attitude to aristocracy which led to cruel murdering of a number of monarchs and their close companions. Such cruelty cannot be excused even by the fact that nobles had been long maltreating their subjects.
In conclusion, the idea of popular government spread during the period of the Enlightenment became one of the most important ideas of this period. It helped the people form the countries of the west achieve unprecedented progress in different areas including economy, business, industry, science, and technology.