In European Enlightenment (Age of Reason, = 17th century) a new 'religion' was erected (in Holland) in Europe: the church of science, closely connected to Calvinism.
Initiating social revolutions against aristocratic and hereditary power were smothered by a new shape of 'oppression'. Physical power was replaced with abstract power This was close to a major paradigm shift. People suddenly became willing to die for empty abstract concepts like 'freedom'.
The former rule of life 'might makes right' was replaced by values around equality. Equality of 'individuals', equality before the law, social justice, universal human rights and democracy for individuals. 'A man's word is his bond' was replaced with 'freedom of speech'.
Power shifted from the 'upper class' to an 'upper middle class', where shrude individuals proved to be masters in using the equality concepts to make huge individual profits. This system of 'rational' social principles raised the average standard of living in the west never seen before levels. Rational technology realized 'miracles.
Practically all progress was realized by exploitation of people and resources outside the Western World. But for a few ages this was kept hidden from general attention, by usage of all kinds of myths. From 'stupid blacks are happy to serve as slave for western masters' to 'infinite growth'

The general idea was that by using 'reason', man could accomplish anything. 'The church' was replaced by a trust in logic and individuality, a puritan suppression of emotion.
This church of science copied a lot from The Church of catholicism: schools as churches, universities as cathedrals, teachers as priest of reason, professors as highpriests, ratio as god, theory as belief. New credo: life = pure reason (not a break with Aristotle, but confirming the dualism in the view of life of Aristotle).
Enlightenment created two basic forms of rationality in the Western world: 1) purposive rationality (natural sciences, technical sciences); 2) humanistic rationality (social sciences).
Humanistic rationality from the very start was split in a moderate part that was open to change and a puritan part. The part open to change evolved to modern social science, but is a church nevertheless.
Puritanism in hard shape fled from England via Holland to the New World. During the course of the early seventeenth century, however, increasing numbers of immigrants, extreme Calvinistic Protestants, managed to establish a group of autonomous North American colonies, including Plymouth (1620), Massachusetts (1628), New Hampshire (1629), Connecticut (1633), Maine (1635), Rhode Island (1636), and New Haven (1638). American Puritanism would become more severe than the European variant. Puritanism echoes in American society today. The American Puritans changed the course of history.
In Europe outside England and Germany most of hard Puritanism (Lutheranism, Calvinism) disappeared, but in America it was the driving force behind slavery, Industrialism, Capitalism, Klu Klux Klan, ... American Rationalism directly evolved out of hard Puritanism. After WWII American rationalism conquered Europe, and indoctrinated the new class of pro America Middle East dictators.
'Rational' law and order became a perfect excuse for 2nd rate leaders to forget about common sense and to do whatever they wanted. All that was needed was an own 'rational' logic.
1. The Founding Fathers of the United States were heavily 'drugged' by Enlightenment-ideas like 'deism' (belief in Supreme Being) easily accepted slavery of non-christian human animals. The 'Law of Nations' was strongly influenced by the German 'rationalists' Leibnitz and Christian von Wolff. Much more than on the ideas of Locke.
2. European adventurers in Africa promoted the hunting down of men, women and children like beasts, and the burning down of complete villages to capture the inhabitants and sell them like cattle. Such slave traders presented Africans as murderous savages so that extremely brutal slavehunting and inhuman transportation to the Americas appeared as 'Christian concern' and 'enlightened' behavior. European 'Enlightenment' caused darkness in Africa.

Henk Tuten: on internet I found following interesting quote: Society of Jesus were godly men of German decent anointed by God to steer America towards liberty.
Enlightenment made a religion of 'reason' (later: 'understanding'), and promoted 'liberty', 'science', 'rationality' and 'divine' or 'natural law' (the catholic view of life).
Enlightenment resulted from the wish for individual profit (egoism) and tremendously expanded skill, but failed in ethics. Rationalism during Enlightenment was adopted by leading rulers and politicians, and thus weakened the authority of the Pope. In this way it broke down the defences of Catholicism. Especially those who frequented the universities were affected by the victory of rationality in Enlightenment. Everywhere throughout Europe, 'rationalism' conquered the centres of education.
In 1946 German social theorist Max Horkheimer traced 'the collapse of a large part of the intellectual foundation of our civilisation'. back to the Enlightenment.

Defenders of 'rationalism' and 'individualism' often say: The Enlightenment brought us reliance on the individual, not God or nature
Replacing god 'God' by god 'ratio' is not something to be proud of. And 'reliance on the individual' translated means 'egoism'.
Henk Tuten: You might say that a 21th billionaire reduces the life opportunities of say 1 million people in Africa to zero.