Whose Philosophy Shaped Modern Democracy?

English philosopher John Locke (1632–1704) is widely considered the father of modern democratic theory. His Two Treatises of Government (1689) argued that legitimate political authority derives from the consent of the governed, that individuals have natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and that people may overthrow unjust rulers. These ideas directly influenced the American Declaration of Independence (1776) and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789). Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Voltaire further developed Enlightenment political thought.