Identify a key outcome of the Enlightenment.

A key outcome of the Enlightenment was indeed the rise of democratic ideas and challenges to monarchic rule. This intellectual movement emphasized reason, individualism, and skepticism of traditional authority, which led to the questioning of absolute monarchies that had been prevalent in Europe. Enlightenment thinkers, such as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, proposed ideas about natural rights, social contracts, and government accountability to the people, which laid the groundwork for modern democratic principles.

These ideas inspired revolutions and movements advocating for democracy, such as the American Revolution and the French Revolution, where citizens sought to establish governments based on popular sovereignty rather than hereditary rule. The focus on rationalism and human rights challenged the legitimacy of absolute monarchies, ultimately contributing to the emergence of democratic frameworks in various societies.