Upon hearing about the taking of the Bastille, peasants decided they, too, could press for social change through drastic actions. During the French Revolution, people fought and killed for the things they believed in, specifically rights. University of Chicago Press. Others inhabited the countryside, most notably small numbers of noble and non-noble owners of manors, conspicuous by their dwellings, at the least. What is the impact of the social contract theory? Over the course of the century, that number increased by another 8 to 10 million, as epidemic disease and acute food shortages diminished and mortality declined. Enlightenment includes a concept proposed by the philosopher John Locke that all humans, when they are born, are entitled to basic human rights. The idea of the social contract is one of the foundations of the American political system. Louis XVI was predominately the king during this time period but little did he know that an uprising among the peasants was happening. Explanation: Huge Social, Political and Economic changes took place. People have the power to overthrow a bad king. Feudal systems were abolished all over Europe. For the peasantry, the foremost cause of instability during the Revolution was the Civil Constitution of the Clergy of 1790. The abolition on the censorship was removed and the freedom of the press was granted which resulted in the printing of the books and newspapers. Empowering curious minds, one answer at a time. However, in Hobbes' theory, once the power was given to the state, the people then relinquished any right to that power. The notion of equality was not validated right away because there was a privileged minority that was not always keen on including social equality in the Declaration (Coffin et al., 2011). Social Causes of the Revolution Explore LIBERTY, EQUALITY Disclaimer: Services provided by StudyCorgi are to be used for research purposes only. It increased material wealth, extended life, and was a powerful force for social change. Yet, many of the ideals of democracy that were fought for during the French revolution, which was a landmark time for the progress of democracy during history, were ideals honed from what Rousseau propounded in 'The Social Contract'.