Voltaire was one of the most impactful writers in French history. Coming up during the Enlightenment and also during a time when the very rich ruled France and Europe with an iron fist, Voltaire had many subjects to write about. Voltaire was an excellent social commentator, and time proved many of his takes to be correct. With this in mind, “Candide” was one of his most important works.
“Candide” was significant in Europe not only because it critiqued the church and state both, but also because it spoke out against cruelty during a time when people were being increasingly cruel. The work was also reflective in a way, choosing to not only critique the richest and most powerful in society, but also to critique the Enlightenment movement itself, which Voltaire saw as flawed in some ways. It put pressure on the regents of society, which allowed Candide to have a political, economic, cultural, and religious impact.
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In terms of politics, “Candide” had its greatest impact in critiquing the Enlightenment idea of the benevolent monarch. Some Enlightenment thinkers believed that a monarch could be trusted to protect the rights of the people, and may be a better option than self-government. Voltaire wrote that this was folly, and he has in many ways been proven correct. Ultimately monarchs by their very nature seek power and restrict the rights of people, even when the good ones are better than the worst ones. Voltaire in this writing had an impact by ensuring that the Enlightenment did not provide the intellectual foundation for despotism.
He also has an impact on the economic reality in Europe by critiquing the idea of the acquisition of wealth. He shows through the story of Eldorado that having more money does not necessarily mean that a person will be happier. In fact, the problems for that character are just beginning when he gets a great fortune. This is meant to suggest to the rich that they may be setting themselves up for folly by taking more than they need. It had the effect of holding those individuals responsible.
The author has an impact on religion by holding religious leaders to the fire through satire. They took themselves very seriously, but he demonstrates that in many ways they are ridiculous. He does this by showing them in a number of absurd situations. For instance, he shows the daughter of the pope, which should not be a thing that exists given the requirement that popes remain celibate. He shows in many instances that the religious can be quite hypocritical in their positions, which is an important element of this story. As religious figures began to take over Europe, Voltaire was there to point out to people that they were being fake with all of their piety. In doing so, he established a critique that others could follow.
Culturally, Voltaire had an impact by questioning the Enlightenment position that everything will be fine. He points out in many ways that optimism is for the birds. It is not something that people should waste their time on. He wanted people to understand that there were many problems in Europe and France specifically. He wrote during the Seven Years War and shortly after the earthquake in Lisbon. He wrote during a time of wrongful convictions. His was a cynical view, and he wanted other people to join him in that.
Ultimately Voltaire has seen his work proven true over time. Kings do seek power and the rich sometimes do have worse folly despite their riches. Religion has lost some of its power, especially in the political realm, as leaders have been exposed as corrupt and hypocritical. Voltaire’s work served as an intellectual basis for the resistance, critiquing not only European life, but also the Enlightenment itself.
