French revolution chp1

Long term issues

taxation system, socialetal structure in the ancien regime, gradual spread of ideas

taxation system

• Taxes were collected by tax farming 

• The Farmers-General paid the State an agreed sum and kept anything above that sum to themselves

  • The government never received enough money to cover its expenditure from taxes → it frequently had to borrow

• Taxes were collected by officials who bought the right to hold their positions under a system ( venality.) → can’t be dismissed. 

• The bulk of royal revenue were made up of taxation but bc system of exemption → the Crown was denied an adequate income

  • Tax farming meant that not all revenue paid actually reached the treasury.

• The issue of taxation weakened the Crown and created resentment among the 3rd Estate,

Structure of the French society during the Ancien regime

first estate , second estate , third estate

first estate - Plurality and absenteeism 

1. Some bishops held more than one bishopric → some bishops were of more than one diocese 

2. The most senior posts in the Church to the nobility were inexperienced young men with little interests in performing their religious duties → many ordinary clergy from the lower class who are determined to help their parishioners, couldn’t progress to senior roles where they would be able to direct the Church to carry out its ‘proper duties’

first estate taxes

1. Tithes (10% of income)

   →They were supposed to provide for parish priests, poor relief, and the upkeep of the church buildings, but went into the pockets of bishops and abbots. 

2. Exemption from taxes (only paid an annual don gratuit to the King which was about 5% of the Church’s income)

first estate power over the people

1. Catholic Church was one of the most powerful institutions and was the cornerstone of society.  

2. It owned about 10% of land in France

3. revenue = 150 million livres, yet it paid no taxes → corrupt and ineffective. 

4. There may have been exploitation from the Catholic Church towards other religion (i.e. Protestant)

5. it supports and provides advice for the king and are not keen for reformation => influenced the king

second estate

• The aristocracy dominated France and all the key posts at court, government, Church, judiciary and the army

  • French army often performed badly was because the officers were noblemen and promotion came through noble rank rather than through ability or experience

second estate privaleges

1. Tried in their own courts

2. Exempt from military service, gabelle, corvee

3. They received a variety of feudal dues

4. Had exclusive rights to hunting and fishing 

5. They held monopoly rights (banalities) to own mills, ovens and wine presses

second estate Different status differences

1. 4000 court nobility→ restricted to those whose noble ancestry could be traced back before the 1400; those who could afford the high cost of living in Versailles 

2. Noblesse de robe, legal and administrative nobles which included 1200 magistrates of the parlements 

3. many joined the Church, the army, and the administration.

The third estate - bourgeoisie

• The educated and wealthy people of the Third Estate (merchants, industrialists, business people. )

• The bourgeoisie felt that their wealth and power should be reflected in the political system as it bore a substantial part of the tax revenue

• In 1780, they owned around 20% of the land in France, only some were involved in aspects of local governments

• impossible for them to join the top offices in the government, the military and the judiciary system as it’s only reserved for nobles

• While they did not pay taxes as high as the peasants, but a system where they had no say in how their money was spent

third estate - the peasentry

• making up around 67% of the population

• Large farmers who owned lands and employed labourers to produce food

• Sharecroppers who didn’t own their land and farmed it and gave half their crops to landlords instead of rent. 

third estate - serfs

• They were at the bottom of the social structure and their children were unable to inherit personal property without paying a large sum of dues to their lord

• They lived in a state of chronic uncertainty, bad weather or illness → could push them to vagrants, who lived by begging, stealing, and occasional employment 

third esatte - urban workers/ san culottes

• Small property owners and artisans in Paris ( sans-culottes.)

• Skilled craftsmen were organised into guilds.

• The standard of living of wage-earners had slowly fallen in the 17th century → prices rose on average by 65% between 1726 - 1789, but wages only by 22%.

• The years preceding the Revolution the worsening economic situation caused resentment among urban dwellers. 

1. The gradual spread of ideas (Period of Enlightenment)

• After the revolution, many of the aristocrats and royalists, blamed the enlightenment for the downfall of the Ancien Regime.

• They argued that traditions were questioned too much and religion was ridiculed and mocking implications, the literal truth of the bible and the Church’s teachings. 

• There had been the encouragement to think freely, but this had been misused. Institutions such as the monarchy, aristocracy, and the church, which relied on respect, had been undermined. 

• For many, the prime culprit was the philosopher Voltaire → Their aim was to change the way people think, were influenced by the American War of Independence. 

• the ideas were discussed mainly amongst the educated, so that the peasant masses wouldn’t be influenced direct

• The enlightenment divided the French elites. Noble critics of the governments found themselves popular heroes

• politics changed from national sovereignty and the rights of men, to constitutions, and constitutional monarchy in which power would be shown.

• The way towards a French Republic has been paved by new political ideas, the concept of social contracts

short term issues

foreign policy, financial crisis, political crisis, economical crisis

foreign policy

seven years war and american war of independence

seven year war

1. France had a hostile relationship with Britain and Austria. Britain was viewed as France’s only serious colonial rival and Austria was a rival for the dominance of mainland Europe. 

2. France suffered defeats at the hands of the British →Much of France’s overseas empire and profitable sugar-producing colonies was lost in 1763

american war of independence

1. France saw opportunity to get revenge on Britain when Britain was involved in a quarrel with America, who rebelled against British rule.

2. France intervened on the side of the rebels, providing financial and military support → wanted to defeat britian forces and make USA

3. Spent around 1066 million livres

4. 20th of August 1789 said that revenue was 475mil livres, while the expenditure was around 587mil livres

5. war was expensive and weakend financial situation

6. french soliders were subjected to ideas like liberty and democracy and demanded for it back home

financial crisis

• financial problems to the crown resulted in estate general being called

• financial defecit showed regimes failure to modernise and weakness of the king and his gov

• taxation fell on the third estate→ problems were bound up with the issues of privilege and the unfairness in society (long term issues) 

• Louis XV had inherited a tax system that was inefficient, tax exemptions based on privilege and regional variants in the collections of taxes, which → complex and chaotic.

• The king relied the system of tax farming

• There were 3 major figures who grappled with financial problems between 1774-89

turgot

• goal :increase money for the country and to reduce expenditure via price control on corn (not popular with the peasants)

• dismissed in 1776

• was an expert in agriculture economics

• improved communication (speedy carriages)

• aimed to replace forced labour on the roads which fell on Third Estate (corvee), with a new system of road maintenance. 

• he was reform-minded and well read.

• In his Six Edicts (legislation) → proposed abolishing price controls, reducing the restrictions on trade by guilds and promoting enterprise. 

• Privileged interests turned against him, including the queen, brought about his downfall in 1776

• hypocritical - wanted to reduce spending but wanted war in 1778

• the ending of price controls led to widespread unrest and bread rioting (expensive and it was a staple diet) 

• Financial policy did not take precedence over foreign policy and in 1778, France once again went into a major war against Britain to help the revolt of American colonies

necker

• The Swiss Protestant banker

• He had opposed Turgot and free trade policies

• he aimed to increase the crown’s finances of farmed out taxations

• planned to reduce the 70 000 venal offices (as it took control away from gov)

• He was good at getting loans and got lots of foreign loans for France for expenses to go to war (for status)

• increase confidence in the royal finances so that the Crown did not have to pay heavily for credit.

• increasing debt as he borrowed 500 million livres.

• created royal accounts → Compte rendu au roi of 1781. (public can view gov finances)

• This established his reputation as a reformer

• but was ‘misleading creative accounting’. → only made small increase in royal income

• 1786 france spent 633mil and revenue was at 472mil

• he was recalled in 1788 where he allocated the summoning of the estate general to solve problems he had helped to create.

calonne

• appointed 1783

• with debt of more 100 million livres and high annual repayments → tried to introduce economies, established a sinking fund and re-issue gold coinage, to prevent counterfeiting.

• By 1786, he had come up with a major plan.

calonnes 3 pronged approaches

1. Reform the taxation system → introducing new land tax and increase taxes for the privileged

2. Stimulate the economy 

3. To increase prosperity by ending internal customs.

• called a special assembly of notables to avoid hostility in parlements → They were to share responsibilities for reform.

• This group failed to agree, and despite all previous assurances, he had lost the support of the king. He was dismissed and exiled. 

assesment of the reforms

• none of them retained the support of Louis XVI.

• Turgot and Calonne, were unpopular, with the privileged classes (they were most realistic)

• Turgot faced riots over ending restrictions on grain prices,

• Calonne was abused as ‘Monsieur Deficit’.

• failure of their reforms led to estate general → showed weakness to the crown → didnt support towards the reforming ministers, keeping the privileges, such as the guilds

• government functioned despite debt

• gov did well in aglo french war 1778-83 → government deficit didnt stop economic progress or destory kings rep

• Calonne overestimated his ability to persuade the Assembly of Notables to make reforms

• Necker created problems by disguising the true extent of debt and then encouraged the calling of the Estate-General.  

• Public interest in financial reforms was unprecedented in the 1780s - shown in the publication of accounts.

political crisis

• Calonne replaced by brienne

• he increased taxes and presented his reforms to the Parlement of Paris for registration but only using EG

• The king refused - saw as attack on his royal powers - banished the parlement to the provinces on 15th Aug

• riots everywhere and the crowds took to the streets to protest 

• Sep 1788 Louis was forced to allow the Paris parlement to return, following the resignations of Brienne,

• the king recalled Necker as finance minister-. believed he could restore the gov credit and raise new loans.

• Necker abandoned his predecessor’s reform plans and do nothing until the EG had been summoned 

• The crisis had shown the limitations of royal power (again) => unable to impose his government’s reforms on the State.

• The forces of opposition detected clear signs of weakness in the Crown

• failure to secure reforms contributed to a paralysis of the government.

economic crisis

• many natural disasters which resulted in poor harvests → widespread starvation → significant increase in bread prices

• It led to widespread unemployment, resulting in:

  • Lower demand for manufactured goods→ more income spent on food

  • increase in the price of bread - a key staple food 

• linked to social class system where there are different taxation requirements.

• economic disparity that acts as a catalyst for the revolution  (got peasents involved)