Chapter 1: The Government Of The Ancien Régime Flashcards
What was the structure of the French absolutist government? (top to bottom)
God
The king
Independent bodies (pays d’etat, parlaments, estates general)
Different ministers (Controller-General, intendants)
Who was the king answerable only to?
What did this mean?
What is an example of this?
God
Theoretically above the law
Lettre de cachet- king could imprison anyone without trial
=> Bastile prison became a symbol of the regime
The king is above the law but…
What independent bodies have rights and privileges guaranteed by the law?
Guaranteed by the law = nothing king can do about it
Pays d’etat
Parliaments
Estates general
What was the pays d’etat?
Areas on edge of France (eg Brittany)
Covered c. half the country
Ancient rights about justice and finance (eg some exempt from some taxes)
Parliaments
13 law courts each for a trike on of France
Magistrates members of noblesse de robe (payed)
=> king couldn’t sack them without paying them what they payed to get the position
(But France was broke)
Role in court cases and law making (new laws registered by them, could oppose but king could overrule with lit de justice)
Estates General
Check royal power
Meeting of elected representatives from all 3 estates
100s from each
Hadn’t met since 1614
The king was helped out by…
Intendents:
Appointed by king
1 for each of the 34 generalities (financial units)
Supervised tax collection, religion
Enforced law and order
What was the government financed by?
What was the problem with this?
Taxes
Tax collection chaotic:
No center al treasury, so controller-General never knew how much Mike’s king had
•Direct taxes collected by accountants Bought position so couldn’t be dismissed (France broke)
Kept some of the money)
Ex. Income tax
•Indirect taxes collected by farmers- general
Paid gov. lump sum in advance
Kept any they could on top of that
Ex. food, salt
Who was the law proposed by?
Who had ultimate legal authority over laws?
King’s chief ministers
Voted on by parliament
What was one way France was financed?
Money borrowed from rich foreign financiers
Often at high rates of interest
What had happened to the feudal system?
Long since disappeared
How was France beginning to industrialise?
Gov. did everything they could to improve trade through low taxation
How might the structure of gov. and the taxation system be an underlying cause of revolution?
Structure of gov. made it mostly considerate of those who had bought power rather than having been elected
Taxation system caused unfairness as clergy and noblemen exempt from direct taxes
This caused unrest
What was the pays d’etat?
The 6 areas of France
What were parliaments?
‘Sovereign’ courts
Hear civil and criminal cases local courts couldn’t solve
