1774-1789 Flashcards
percentage that the 3rd estate made up of the whole population
in 1787, 98%
how many généralité
36
percentage of land that the Church owned + percentage of tithes
6%
tithes = 10% of agricultural production = 150 million livres in 1787
how much land did the 2nd estate own (altogether)
their privileges
1/4
Paris Parlemement
registered royal edicts issued by the king before it became law; Louis could override it using lit de justice
privileges of 2nd estate
- tried in their own courts
- exempt from military service
- exempt from gable and corvée
- received feudal dues
- monopoly rights to operate mills, ovens and win presses; the 3rd estate must pay to use
percentage that peasants make up of the whole population
67%
sharecroppers
50% of peasants are sharecroppers
they warned on landlords’ land and have to give half of their crops to the landlords as rent
landless labourers
1/4 of peasants
serfs
1 million
number of people in venal offices
over 70,000
rumours abou Marie Antoinette
“I’Autrichinne”
attacked in the 1780s by le lever d’aurore as having illicit sex and lavish lifestyle
how many children did Louis have
1 daughter after 8 years of marriage, ad 1 son in 1781
bad harvest
1789, food prices increased
American war of independence
1778-1783
spent 1066 million livres livers
population increase
Population increased from 24 million in 1740 to 28 million in 1780.
expenditure and revenue in 1780
610 million livres expenditure (of which 43% on interest payments)
585 million livres revenue
1066 million livres on American war
eden treaty
1786
opened free trade with Britain
=> import cheaper textiles -> French textile manufactures must compete with cheaper textiles => destroyed the French textile industry
turgot
1774-1776
want to create wealth and increase revenue
reduce privileges, abolish price controls, reduce restrictions on trade, promote enterprise, uniform land tax , remove forced labour
“no bankruptcy, no increase in taxes, no borrowing”
ending price control on corn prices -> prices going up due to poor harvest -> bread rioting
removing privileges -> nobility unhappy -> downfall in 1776
necker
1776-1781
focused on the nature of royal finances
opposed free trade policies, reduce venal offices, increase confidence in the royal finances so that they could borrow more money without paying heavy credits
published the Compte Rendu 1781 -> established his reputation as trustworthy (but the accounts were misleading)
borrowed over 500 million livres
discovered after he was
wanted to be party of the inner circle of the minister -> Louis disapprove -> resign 1781
1783: total debt over 100 million livres
recalled in 1788 because public liked him
calonne
1783-1787
undid a lot of Necker’s work, established a sinking fund, reissued gold coinage to prevent counterfeiting, encouraged lavish spending in court
1786: proposed uniform land tax -> Louis disapprove -> assembly of notables called (feb 1787) -> they disapproved -> he lost support
brienne
1787-1788
also proposed a uniform land tax
forced to resign when the government failed to borrow enough money to maintain daily spending due to their credit crisis
events leading up to the calling of e-g
1787
May: Assembly of Notables and parlements instead the E-G must be called
6 August: edicts were registered in lit de justice, parliaments declared the edicts were void, Louis exiled members of the Paris Parlement to Troyes
September: Paris Parlement return because Louis promised to withdraw the edicts, parliament agreed to register further loans as long as E-G is called; Louis agreed to call the E-G in 1792
November: Louis tried to force the parlement into registering a 5 year series of loans, members of the Paris Parlement exiled again
November - May 1788: parlements published protests, e.g Bordeaux Parlement refused to register laws or cooperate with government
1788
4 May: aristocratic revolt- Paris Parlement published a statement describing all parlements to be defenders of liberty and the constitution (i.e. defending civil rights such as freedom for censorship, irremovability of magistrates and the right of the Estates General to authorise taxation.
8 May: May edicts using lit de justice, parlements suspended and replaced with 47 new courts
7 June: day of tiles at Grenoble
25 aug: necker reappointed
estates general
5 may 1789
- more priests than bishop
- more conservatives than liberals
- all educated bourgeoisie
3rd estate cahier
- Economic problems: poverty, high food prices
- Poor political representation
- Privileges of the 1st & 2nd Estate: fair legal system, fair taxation (e.g. reduction of gabelle, no taxes without the agreement of the Estates General)
- Careers open to talent (e.g. high-ranking Church positions given to educated people rather than children of the nobility)
2nd estate cahier
The liberals wanted form to some extent but not too radical.
* Some tax reform: consensus needed from the E-G
* Checks and balances of the King open to the public
* Equality before the law
The Conservatives were more neglected towards change.
* Preserve the privileges
* Taxation system to not change
* Supportive of the monarchy but could also have a regular meeting E-G
1st estate cahier
Priests: regular pay and careers open to talents so they could get higher positions.
Bishops wanted to hold onto their privileges and have control over education.
setting up the National Assembly 1789
10 June: 3rd Estate declared they would verify the deputies’ credentials even if the other two estates rejected
some clergy later joined the 3rd estate
17 June: voted to call themselves the National Assembly
19 June: all clergy voted to join the assembly
=> out of government’s control
tennis court oath
20 June
they would not disperse until France had a constitution
Only 1 person voted against this, showing the deputies were becoming increasingly radical.
Séance royale
23 June
attended by all estates
Louis. declared the previous actions of the 3rd Estate void and he would not allow the privileges of the nobility and clergy to be discussed in common
some reforms offered:
* No taxes imposed without the consent of the representatives of the nation
* Abolishment of lettres de cachet
* Introduce freedom of the press
* Abolishment of internal customs barriers, gabelle and corvée
=> 3rd estate want more
27 June: allowed the nobles and clergy to join the 3rd Estate and vote by head
late June: 4000 troops stationed around Paris
events in Paris in 1789
28 April 1789: riots at réveillon wallpaper factory due to fear that their wages would be reduced
spring 1789: Duc d’Orléans opened a series of arcades, cafes, pleasure gardens to the public. It become a centre for rumour, debate and giving out pamphlets
14 July 1789: storming of the Bastille
storming of Bastille
250,000 sans-culottes obtained over 28,000 muskets, 20 cannon from Les Invalides
by 14 July, 5 of the 6 battalions deserted
killed 98 people during the process
10 July: citizen’s militia
15 July: commune
great fear
20 July
peasants arming themselves to defend against feudal power
destroyed bread ovens, dovecots and winepresses because they were charged to use them
in Dauphiné, 9 chateux were burnt
continued until 6 aug
august decrees
met on 4 aug
published on 11 aug
- Abolitions of serfdom (feudal rights on people), tithes, hunting rights, corveés, seigneurial courts, venal offices, provincial and municipal offices
- All citizens to be taxed equally
- Jobs based on talent (the Church, state, army)
declaration of the rights of man and citizen
published 26 aug
establish free trade in grain and control prices
29 aug
power given to Louis by the National Assembly
suspensory veto of 4 years on all laws except finance
National Assembly have legislative power; king have executive power
nationalisation of the church
It is sold to
* Provide money for the State before a new and fairer tax system could be introduced
* Guarantee the success of the revolution because those who bought Church lands would not want the Church to recover its lands, thus they would be interested in maintaining the revolutionary changes and prevent the restoration of the ancient regime
* Clergy would have to support the new regime, as now the government pays the clergy
- opportunity to allow religious liberty to Protestants , which further undermined the dominant position of the Catholic Church being the state church.
By September, the government faced a financial crisis as it didn’t have enough tax revenue and unable to raise a loan
2 nov 1789: property owned by the Church officially nationalised, estimated to be 2000 million livres
19 dec: first assigns issued
October days
4 October: Flanders regiment arrive in versailles, Louis has not accepted all decrees
5 October: 7,000 women marched to versailles demanded he accept the decrees and declaration and bread. The National Guard announced they would not shoot them.
6 October: crowd broke into the palace, killed 2 guards. family was escorted back to Paris by the National Assembly
growth in towns
silk in Nîmes and Lyons
foreign trade with Atlantic ports
profitable trading with Nantes in coffee
Paris grew by 20%, Nantes by more
than 100%, rapid growth in urban
areas -> tension
percentage of tax that was of a peasant’s income
10%
example of taxes
gabelle, champart, taille,
percentage of price rise
prices rise by 65% 1726-1789,
but wages by on 22%
75% of wages are going to bread
agricultural issues
Wine crops either had low yields or too much-> financially damaging as peasants depended on crops to supplement their income
Failure of fodder crops -> reduce in price of sale and slaughter of livestock
Farmers only had small amounts of land which could only grow enough food for their families, but many still struggled
Rent to landlords increased from 11.4
million in 1705 to 27.9 million in 1790 due to increase in population
Woollen industry affected: poor harvest means peasants could not afford to buy pollen goods, so they could not
produce anything -> industry declined and reduced work
availability for spinners and weavers
different enlightenment ideas
Montesquieu criticised royal absolutism but argued the aristocracy should limit royal power, rather than the people
Voltaire criticised the Catholic Church and religious intolerance, but believed religion was needed to preserve public morals and defend royal authority
Rousseau suggested that a despotic monarch could be
overthrown by their subjects and advanced the idea that
sovereignty resided in the people rather than the King
