Treating expression as a natural right in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen gave ideological basis to which change?

Correct answer: Freedom to speak write and criticize

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen presented certain freedoms as natural and universal rights rather than privileges granted by a king or a social order. Treating expression in this way supported the idea that citizens should be able to speak, write, publish opinions, and criticize authority. These freedoms were connected with citizenship and public accountability. Therefore option C correctly identifies the ideological change supported by the Declaration.

Option A would strengthen personal royal power, and B would preserve inherited feudal privilege; both conflict with the Declaration’s emphasis on equality and rights. Church tax collection is an institutional matter, not the meaning of freedom of expression. The important step was turning communication and criticism into civic rights. Thus the Declaration provided an intellectual basis for freedom of speech, writing, and criticism.