How did the Enlightenment change people’s ideas about government? It made people focus on what rights people should have. It made people think about what makes a good monarch. It made people appreciate the benefits of absolutism. It made people search for a better government than democracy.

The spread of Enlightenment philosophers' ideas sparked changes in governments and society throughout Europe. Encouraged by ideas such as natural law and social contracts, people challenged the structure of governments and society in existence since the Middle Ages.

representative government