The emergence of modern democratic societies is inseparable from the twin revolutions of the Reformation and the Enlightenment. The Reformation, beginning in the sixteenth century, challenged the authority of religious institutions and asserted that every individual has the right, and duty, to follow their conscience. By championing freedom of conscience, the Reformation broke down rigid hierarchies and elevated the sovereign worth of each person.

The Enlightenment, which followed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, placed reason and empirical inquiry at the centre of intellectual and political life.

Institutions such as independent courts, free press, and representative assemblies emerged directly from both legacies, creating frameworks for the rule of law, checks on arbitrary power, and the safeguarding of individual liberties.

Together, the Reformation and Enlightenment became the foundations of modern Western civilization. They shifted society away from dogma and inherited privilege to principles of reason, equality, and self-government. These revolutions fostered a culture where individuals are free to think, speak, worship, and pursue opportunity, and where the legitimacy of authority depended on its respect for those freedoms