Freedom is something that should be present in every country in the world, but often isn't. Two of the greatest events in history; The Enlightenment and Imperialism shaped political, economic, social and cultural freedom throughout the world. The views and ideas of the Enlightenment have shaped many modern governments and societies. An example of this is the Citizen's Declaration of Rights and Manhood which reflects Enlightenment philosophies and ideologies on government. On the other hand, imperialism has caused mass injustice in freedom and the collapse of many developing societies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The White Man's Burden by Rudyard Kipling is a poem that reflects imperialist ideas and thoughts while the film Hotel Rwanda shows how imperialist powers in Europe removed freedom and caused genocide in Africa. Currently, our world is freer than the imperialist era, but it is not as free as the Enlightenment. Although many imperialist powers have since fallen and adopted greater freedom. But according to FreedomHouse. org in 2018, democracy has fallen into crisis, where freedom has declined in more countries than countries where freedom has increased. The impact of political power on people's freedom during the French Revolution was significant. Political power in France was mainly controlled by the Church and the 1st and 2nd estates. France's 3rd estate (which consisted of 98% of the population) was given little to no control over government actions and the legislative process. This meant that most people (third estate) in France had no freedom and little to no control over their own rights, while the upper class managed to control the rights of everyone else. The resolution of the French Revolution caused the spread of Enlightenment ideas which also caused a huge shift in governmental power from a monarchy to a government ruled by the people. A similar situation occurred in Latin America when the French overthrew an oppressive government. Latin America borrowed the idea/concept and this is how many South American countries gained their independence. Most people in France (third estate) had little or no economic freedom. Before the French Revolution and the creation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, taxes were required for the 3rd estate while the higher estates did not have to pay any taxes. Because of these high taxes, many French people became very poor while other classes became rich. The 3rd estate challenged the government with the influence of Enlightenment ideas. This later led to the French Revolution questioning the intentions of higher states. The resolution was the creation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. This made taxation equal and meant that the tax burden was immensely reduced on the 3rd estate. This allowed them to have economic freedom, meaning they could keep more of their money instead of taking it out of taxes. Inequality and segregation were the norm for French society before the French Revolution. In France, in this period, the 1st and 2nd classes were the main rulers of society. They were much more superior than 3rd class people. Because of these unequal social classes, the classes did not get along and there was unrest between the lower and upper classes. The 3rd estate did not like this inequality from the upper classes and the government. They then challenged their government. The Declaration of the Rights of the Citizen Man states that the governmentmust preserve the rights of man and that society is equal, which means that the people control the government and no one is superior to another. The culture of the French people has radically changed somewhat since the French Revolutionary War and Enlightenment ideas. Before the French Revolution, people were segregated and many people did not have basic rights such as the rights of religion, expression and speech. People's attitude also changed, after the French Revolution. Enlightenment ideas began to be more accepted and embraced, people began to have an open mind, and individualism began to be celebrated. All this was caused by the fact that the Church has less power in disseminating information and controlling religion and culture. This lack of power also meant that the scientific revolution became more embraced and widespread, which changed the way people saw the world. Imperialism Political power had a lot of influence on freedom. When nations were colonized, local government would be immediately wiped out. Following this event, the colonizers established their government and created government laws and regulations. When this happened, they came in the form of harsh laws. These laws came in the form of European ideals that provided few or no rights for the common citizen. The impact this government had on freedom caused limited freedom and very strict control for the colonies, which were controlled by a distant government that did not care for the people. In the poem “The White Man's Burden” we see that the author (who is a white man) believes that it is the job of white people to colonize and change nations to make them civilized and influenced by Europeans. Money and economics had a major impact on freedom in imperialized colonies. New age imperialism is what many countries have practiced. They would do this by going to a weak nation with developing societies and starting to control the land and government. After settling, they would use that country to benefit their economy. For example, they would use the region's natural resources and local labor to create goods to sell. In this process, freedom has been lost because the colonized country is now no longer in control of its own economy, what it produced, and how to spend its natural resources. In “The White Man's Burden” it is stated that imperialist powers should aim to transform colonized countries into a more economical colonial-style nation. Socially imperialist powers had a great impact on the freedom of a colonized nation. Imperialist powers usually colonize, then complicate, and many times destroy the social structure of a society. An example of this can be seen in the movie "Hotel Rwanda" when Belgium colonized Rwanda, they influenced and changed the society, then divided the population into two groups. . These were called Hutu and Tutsi. The split caused people who were no different from each other to hate each other. Social freedom was not found in a colonized imperialist society. Because of the strict rules, European standards and ideals usually did not fit well into the society of other nations. This meant that many freedoms that were once socially available became inaccessible due to the changing social structure of the nation. Culture is one of the main aspects of imperialism because it has changed nations and cultures forever. Culture is an integral part found in a civilization that shows what its ideals, fundamental principles and way of thinking are. During the era of New Imperialism, many countries were