The central idea that the Enlightenment promoted regarding governance was rationalism and the belief in the social contract, which posited that governments derive their authority from the consent of the governed. Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Montesquieu emphasized reason, individual rights, and the importance of democratic principles. This intellectual movement influenced political revolutions, such as the American and French revolutions, by advocating for the idea that citizens have the right to overthrow unjust governments and that societal progress can be achieved through reason and reform.