The European enlightenment.

A turning point in the way man views government and society was the Enlightenment. During the Enlightenment, philosophers tried to change the traditional order in Europe. The new Age of Reason supported progress and the use of reason contrary to the old order which used religion as the main source for answers to questions. The church and government tried their best to censor the ideas that arose during the Enlightenment, but the ideas which arose …

…by many government leaders throughout the world and used to improve society. The US is the most obvious example of a nation that used the Enlightenment philosopher's ideas to set up a new nation, many of the ideas used in their government documents was a result of the Enlightenment. Voltaire, Jean Jacques Rousseau, John Locke, and Baron Montesquieu were the major philosophers that led the Enlightenment and effected the way the different countries of worked.