How Did Coffeehouses And Salons Helped To Spread Enlightenment Ideas. Although the reality of the coffeehouses did not always match the ideal of genteel sociability and true equality was not possible in a hierarchical society the image of the coffeehouse as expressed through contemporary pamphlets and newspapers was one where men were encouraged to engage in both verbal and written discourse with regard for wit over rank. The ideas of the Enlightenment quickly caught on and spread throughout Europe and the Americas inducing salons coffeehouses debating societies and literary circles to spring up all over the continent of Europe that discussed a wide range of topics.
Salons began in Italy during the 16th century before spreading to the rest of Europe. Salons helped facilitate the breaking down of social barriers which made the development of the enlightenment salon possible. Anicet Charles Gabriel LemonnierCC BY 30Public domain Diderots encyclopedia epitomized the Enlightenment and its ideals.
Coffee houses began in the Ottoman Empire.
The new printing press invented by Johannes Gutenberg allowed ideas of the Enlightenment to spread by books newspapers ect. First only the nobility then middle class was included. From their origins in the mid-seventeenth century the cafes and coffeehouses of Europe created a special social space that contributed to the dissemination of Enlightenment culture. Their goal was to enlighten the ruling classes so they could bring about reform.