Hi its Diana with the same question:
How did coffee play a pivotal role in the French Revolution? (lots of details and go into the Enlightenment)
But, I looked at the articles you sent me and I still don't understand how coffee influenced the Enlightenment. I am having so much trouble, can you please explain it to me?
The intellectuals and revolutionaries met in coffee houses.
Please read those articles carefully.
You're in advanced placement history. This means that you are hoping to get college credit for this class. You need to be able to read and comprehend these articles in order to succeed in college classes.
http://www.google.com/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=coffee+Enlightenment&oq=coffee+Enlightenment&gs_l=serp.3..0j0i30j0i5i30l2.2.6953.12.7449.20.20.0.0.0.0.211.2176.12j7j1.20.0.cqn%2Ccconf%3D1-0%2Cmin_length%3D2%2Crate_low%3D0-025%2Crate_high%3D0-025%2Csecond_pass%3Dfalse%2Cnum_suggestions%3D2%2Cignore_bad_origquery%3Dtrue..0.0...1c.myexpcshEx4&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=a2397979472d9e8e&biw=697&bih=424
Of course, Diana. I'm here to help you understand. Let's break it down.
During the time of the French Revolution, coffee played a significant role in Europe, particularly in the intellectual and cultural movement known as the Enlightenment, which greatly influenced the events leading up to the revolution. To understand this connection, we need to look at a few key aspects.
1. Coffeehouses during the Enlightenment: Coffeehouses became popular meeting places for intellectuals, artists, politicians, and philosophers during the 18th century. These establishments served as hubs for intellectual discussions, political debates, and the exchange of ideas. People gathered in coffeehouses to engage in conversations that challenged traditional authority, questioned societal norms, and explored new ways of thinking.
2. Coffee and Enlightenment ideals: Coffeehouses provided an environment conducive to the dissemination of the Enlightenment ideals of reason, progress, and individual thought. The consumption of coffee was believed to stimulate the mind and enhance alertness, thus encouraging intellectual discourse and free-thinking. Coffeehouses became known as "penny universities" because for the price of a cup of coffee, patrons gained access to a wealth of knowledge and diverse opinions.
3. Coffee and the spread of Enlightenment ideas: Coffee itself became a symbol of the Enlightenment. As a new and exotic beverage, it represented curiosity, openness to new experiences, and a break from tradition. The sharing of Enlightenment ideas and philosophies was often facilitated by the presence of coffee in these social spaces. Intellectuals, including philosophers like Voltaire and Rousseau, frequented coffeehouses and used them as platforms to disseminate their ideas.
4. Connection to the French Revolution: The Enlightenment's emphasis on reason, individual rights, and the questioning of authority heavily influenced the revolutionary fervor that led to the French Revolution. Coffeehouses played a crucial role in fostering critical thinking, which in turn contributed to the rise of revolutionary sentiment. Intellectuals, politicians, and activists met in coffeehouses to discuss ideas that challenged the social and political order, leading to the development of grievances against the monarchy and the nobility.
So, in summary, coffeehouses provided gathering spaces for intellectuals during the Enlightenment, promoting free-thinking, the spread of new ideas, and the challenging of traditional authority. These discussions and debates facilitated by coffeehouses played a role in shaping the intellectual climate that eventually led to the French Revolution.
I hope this explanation helps you understand the relationship between coffee, the Enlightenment, and the French Revolution. Let me know if you have any further questions!