When 'the people' fired the king
In 1789 crowds in France decided a king ruled only by their consent — and could be removed. The Age of Revolutions spread that shocking idea across Europe, toppling old thrones and planting the notion that power comes from below.
Liberty, equality, fraternity
The French Revolution (from 1789) toppled an absolute monarchy amid financial crisis and Enlightenment ideas about rights and popular sovereignty. Its aftershocks spread nationalism and constitutional government across Europe.
Enlightenment roots
Thinkers like Rousseau and Montesquieu argued government should rest on the consent of the governed and separated powers.