Chapter 2 Causes of the French Revolution

Explain the concept of absolute monarchy. How did absolutism tend to limit attempts at reform?

In a society with an absolute monarch, power is centralized and government is strengthened. he monarch tries to rid the country of all opposition to the Crown. he Crown alone creates laws and controls military force. !ny attempts at reform would place power in the hands of others at the e"pense of the monarch. hus, absolutism discouraged and even prevented reforms.

Briefly explain the causes and course of events of the War of Spanish Succession. What was the most significant result of this conflict for France?

#hen Charles II, $ing of %pain, died without an heir, &ouis 'I( wanted the throne to be held by a member of the French royal family, the )ourbons. he rest of *urope disapproved of this ambition, and believed that such an arrangement would put too much power into the hands of France.

Charles II, in his will, stated that the %panish throne should first be offered to France and then to !ustria. #hen &ouis 'I( accepted the throne for his grandson, many *uropean nations allied themselves and declared war on France. his war ended in +,+- with the reaty of .trecht. he %panish empire was divided. France and /reat )ritain emerged as the ma0or *uropean powers. 1owever, this war was significant because it put France2s economy in real trouble. he successors of &ouis 'I( would have great difficulty as a result of this debt.

Explain how foreign wars contributed to the insurmountable French debt.

France participated in various foreign wars and each one added to the already significant national debt. he %even 3ears #ar 4+,567+,6-8 was fought in *urope as well as in 9orth !merica. France also decided to 0oin the hirteen Colonies in its #ar of Independence against its ma0or rival, )ritain. his support once again plunged France further into debt.

Explain the role of the intendant in the French administrative system

he position of intendant was created to wea:en the French nobility, who clamored for more political power. he intendants were administrative officers responsible to the Crown.

What were the parlements? How did they contribute to the absolute power of the monarch and the system of privilege which existed in France?

he parlements were legal and 0udicial institutions which registered the $ing2s edicts. hey were made up of nobles who had purchased the office. !s a result, these nobles made sure that the interests of the upper class were protected. %ometimes, the parlements would wor: against the wishes of the Crown. &ouis '( e"iled the ;arlement de ;aris at royes and replaced them with representatives who would respect the wishes of the Crown. #hen &ouis '(I too: the throne, the general population pressured him to restore the e"iled members of the parlement, believing that these people wor:ed in the interest of the people.

ame and describe the three estates which existed in the !ld "egime in France.

First *state +<<,<<< or <.5= Clergy, owned more than +<= of the land collected income and feudal ta"es entitled to the tithe owned commercial property did not have to pay ta"es, but gave the government a >gift? every five years, 1ierarchical@ parish priests did most of the wor:, not all supported the system as it was

%econd *state -A<,<<< or +.5= 9obles, superior status, social prestige, special rights, e"emptions from duties or ta"es, hunting privileges not all supported the :ing or the Bld Regime

hird *state !bout 2, million people or AC= !ll other groupsD from wealthy bourgeoisie, professionals, artisans, city wor:ers, peasant landowners, landless peasants

Bourgeoisie wealthy shop:eepers, artisans, lawyers, bureaucrats 7could become part of the Farmers /eneral 4ta" collection8, some sought to advance in society through buying titles Urban Workers not a large group, guild system or subsistence wages, unhappy with current system Peasants some wealthy peasants, small landowners, renters, and landless peasants 4day labourers8, paid many ta"es 4as much as ,<= if income went towards ta" payments8, generally supportive of monarchy and R.C.C.

What sources of income did the "oman #atholic #hurch possess? Explain the $free gift% re&uired of the #hurch by the 'ing.

%ources of incomeD 7owned +<= of land collected income and feudal ta"es 7tithe +<= of everyone2s income 7commercial property he Church did not have to pay ta"es. *very five years, the Church was to give a gift to the :ing. his gift was usually about 5= of the Church2s revenue.

(a'e a list of the privileges en)oyed by the nobility of France. *ssess the impact of these privileges on the peasant.

+. *"emptions from duties and ta"es this meant that peasants would have to shoulder the burden of ta"ation 2. 1unting rights might cause damage to peasant crops

+ist the taxes imposed on the peasant. Evaluate the )ustice of this tax load in relationship to the

second estate. ;easants had to pay the taille 4property ta"8, the corvee 4road ta"8, a ta" on income, various feudal dues and the tithe to the Church. In the end, peasants spent as much as ,<= of their income on ta" payments. his is an un0ust ta" system considering most of the wealth lies in the first and second estates. #hile these two small groups are e"empted, the third estate funds their lavish lifestyles.

Explain why the practice of purchasing noble status was considered detrimental to the French economy.

Eembers of the bourgeoisie who desired to move up in the world, both economically and socially, sometimes purchased noble status. his was detrimental to the French economy because it too: money out business and into a worthless title. !s a result, the economy and the businesses of the bourgeoisie in particular, e"perienced little growth or development.

(a'e a chart of the economic reforms attempted by ,urgotec'er- de Fleury- #alonne- and de Brienne. Which reforms were approved by the 'ing? Which were not? Why did the attempt at economic reform do nothing to solve the problem of France.s growing debt?

urgot ta" reform wanted to clean up ta" collection, abolished guilds 4believed they were monopolies8, freed grain from internal tariffs, wanted to replace the corvee with a ta" on all estates initially supported by the $ing, but not by nobility or the Church

9ec:er borrowed money to fund French participation in the !merican Revolution, published the royal budget for the first time the $ing did not approve of releasing the budget to the public

Fleury arranged for a third vingtieme ta" 4another income ta"8 Calonne borrowed heavily, increased ta"ation, wanted to introduce a ta" for all landowners instead of the taille and the corvee he wanted to reform the gabelle and remove customs duties to bring about economic growth wanted to create a state ban:, wanted provincial assemblies in which all estates were represented the $ing approved the !ssembly of 9otables did not approve of ta" reform and demanded more control in government deadloc: followed Calonne dismissed

hese attempted reforms did nothing to solve France2s economic problems 7 ta" system was not reformed. )orrowing, interest, and debts increased 7 no new sources of money. he first and second estates refused to agree to any of these proposals as they would 0eopardize their privileged position within France. In the end, their reluctance to share the ta" burden would end in revolution.

Why did +ouis /01 call the Estates 2eneral?

In +,C, the royal government and the parlements could not agree on how to reform the system or deal with France2s debt. he royal government did not :now how to deal with demands from the nobility for greater power. In +,CC, &ouis '(I called the *states /eneral at the reFuest of the nobility. he *states /eneral represented all three classes and it was hoped that the deadloc: could be bro:en.

What were the cahiers? ame three demands which were voiced in the cahiers.

he cahiers were lists of grievances outlining the concerns of each estate. &ouis '(I as:ed each estate to put together its own list. hree demands wereD Gevelopment of a constitution Gemand for eFuality of ta"ation hose from urban areas wanted individual rights while those from rural areas were concerned about nobles2 hunting rights

Explain the difference between the traditional $vote by bloc% and the desired $vote by head% in the Estates 2eneral. Why was $vote by head% so important to the third estate?

raditionally, each estate would vote by bloc, one vote for the first estate, one for the second and so on. he third estate wanted each member of the assembly to be able to vote individually. Eembers of the third estate felt that, considering they made up AC= of the population, they should be given more power in voting.