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ws challenged the Catholic Church and the Divine Right of Kings (Absolute Monarchy) ? Voltaire Fought for tolerance, reason, freedom of religious belief, and freedom of speech。 denounced the religious doctrine of the Jesuits。 was imprisoned twice for his views ? John Locke Believed the purpose of government was to protect the natural rights of people (life, liberty, property) ? Montesquieu He believed in separating the government into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial。 three branches of government would prevent tyrants from rising to power ? Rousseau – If a government violated people’s natural rights, it was the citizens’ responsibility to overthrow it。 he believed that the only good government was one that was freely formed by the people and guided by the “general will” of society (direct democracy)。 his beliefs were expressed in The Social Contract (1762) ? Adam Smith – Wrote the Wealth of Nations (1776)。 he was a proponent of laissezfaire economics which argued that individuals who were allowed to rationally pursue their own economic selfinterest would benefit society as well as themselves