Causes Of Revolution

Question 1

Inequality of taxation

Answer 1

• Peasants made up 85% of population, earned the least bit paid most tax
• Eg Taille, Capitation, Gabelle and Tithe
• Feudal dues

Question 2

Population growth

Answer 2

22.4 - 27.9 mil increase between 1705 to 1790

Increased demand for farms
Landlords could raise rents

Question 3

The enlightenment

Answer 3

• movement of intellectuals ‘philosophes’
• challenged the view and ideas of current dogma
• applied rational analysis and did not accept any tradition and revolting without sufficient reasoning

Question 4

7 years war

Answer 4

-1556 - 63

Lost most of oversee empires due to British

Esp. Guadeloupe and Martinique

Question 5

Privilege of nobility (4)

Answer 5

• Exemption from many taxes; Corvee, Gabelle, Taille

Had own court

Exempt from military services

Monopoly rights on mills, ovens and wine presses

Question 6

Religion

Answer 6

Catholic Church received many privileges esp tax exemption

Only paid ‘don gratuit’- 5% of church annual income

Question 7

Failure of financial reform (4)

Answer 7

• Estates general not met since 1614
• King didn’t want 3rd estate
• Notables still denied many of Calonne’s reforms
• led to more taxation and less exemption

Question 8

Venality

Answer 8

Purchasing jobs and roles that were meant to be inherited

Could not be dismissed from those roles

Question 9

Food shortage and rise in wheat prices

Answer 9

60% rise between 1726-89 with not wage increase

Harsh winter 1788-9 88% of wages on bread

Question 10

Bound age by existing privileges

Answer 10

Many assemblies had privileges by law that King could not interfere with

Crown could not acquire adequate income die to exemptions

Forces to borrow money

Question 11

Taxation farming

Answer 11

• taxes not standardised across the country

- contractors could keep anything above agreed sum with the state

Question 12

When were the most disastrous harvests

Answer 12

78-9

81-2

85-6

87

88

Question 13

Bad harvests (5)

Answer 13

Frequents from 78

Hailstones of 88 destroyed crops in July

More income on food

Less demand for manufactured goods

Increased price on bread

Question 14

The deficit

Answer 14

Between 86 and 88 expenditure increased by 20%

From 587 to 713 mil

Compared to 526 income

Question 15

American war of independence

Answer 15

1778-83

Cost 1066 mil (double crown annual income)

French soldiers started to like the ideas of ‘liberty and democracy’ due to Americans and demand similar rights

Question 16

What taxes were aristocracy exempt from

Answer 16

• Captiation

Vingtieme

Taille

Gabelle

Question 17

Issues facing the church

Answer 17

Don gratuit seen as selfish as it was way less than they could afford

Exempt from tax while taxing others: not liked

Resistance to new ideas; new ideas meant others could challenge authority

Money they made didn’t help people

Question 18

Explain Structure of the Nobility

Answer 18

Most powerful- court nobility 4000

Noblesse de robe: 1200 magistrates

The rest; land inherited via primogeniture law
Noble de sword (majority)

Question 19

Economic problems

Answer 19

• bad harvest= bread rising

Unemployment rises; factory owners lose jobs due to low demand of manufactured goods