Origins Of The Revolution Flashcards
What were the 4 long term causes of the French Revolution? [4]
Structure of Royal Government
Taxation System
Structure of French Society
Enlightenment
What is meant by Absolute Monarchy?
The monarch is not limited by any representative body, such as en elected parliament
What position was in charge of Louis’ finances?
The Controller-General
What were Intendants?
Officials directly appointed by and answerable to the Crown. Responsible for police, justice, trade and industry
What were generalities?
The areas which France was divided into for the purpose of collecting taxes and other administrative functions
How many generalities were there in France
34
What was the problem with Louis XVI as an absolute monarch?
He was weak and indecisive
What was tax farming and why was it inefficient?
A system where the government agrees a tax figure for an area which is then collected by a company that bids for the right to collect it.
Inefficient as these companies kept a lot for themselves
What was the taille?
Land tax
Who was appointed Controller General in 1774 and what did they try to abolish?
Turgot, tried to abolish guilds and the corvee
Why was the first estate unpopular? [4]
Tithe
Plurality and absenteeism
Tax exemptions
Power over the people
What was plurality?
Bishops holding more than diocese
What did the Church pay instead of taxes?
Don Gratuit, around 5% of the Churches income
How many nobles were there in 1789?
Between 110,000 and 350,000
How could you join the nobility? [2]
Directly appointed by the King
Buying a venal office that came with a hereditary title
How many venal offices were there?
12,000
How many bourgeoisie were there by the end of the 18th century?
2.3 million
Why did the bourgeoisie resent the political system?
They felt that their wealth and the amount of taxation they paid should be represented in the political system, but it wasn’t
What % of the population did the peasants comprise?
85%
How much did prices of food increase by between 1726 and 1789?
How much did wages increase by between 1726 and 1789?
65%
22%
What was the enlightenment?
An intellectual movement of writers and thinkers. Challenges widely accepted concepts, such as religion, nature and absolute monarchy. Based on reason and rational thought
What were the main short term causes of the revolution? [4]
Foreign policy
Financial crisis
Political crisis
Economic crisis
When was the seven years war?
1756 - 1763
When was the American War of Independence and why was it damaging for Louis XVI? [3]
1776-1783
Cost a lot of money
Exposed French soldiers to ideas of democracy
Who declared that Louis’ government was on the verge of bankruptcy and when?
Calonne on 20th August 1786
What was the government deficit of 1786?
£112 million livres
What were the two main reasons for the financial crisis?
War - spending too much and having to raise loans
Tax - inefficient method of tax farming
Who proposed financial reforms in 1786 and what were they?
Calonne
- Replace capitation and vingtieme with a single land tax
- Stimulate the economy by abandoning controls on grain and abolishing internal customs barriers
- Restore national confidence so short term loans could be raised
Who looked over Calonnes reforms and when did they do it?
An Assembly of Notables in February 1787
What did the Assembly of Notables rule in relation to Calonnes reforms?
Rejected them, claiming that only an Estates-General could approve them
Brienne replaced Calonne as controller-general. What reforms did he propose? [5]
End to venal offices New central treasury Religious reform Educational reform Reforming the army to make it less expensive
Who rejected Briennes reforms and what were the consequences?
Paris parlement, exiled to Troyes on 15th August
In reaction to the Paris parlement being exiled, what size don gratuit did the Church vote?
Less than a quarter of the size requested by the crown
When did Louis agree to summon the Estates General and for what date?
August 1788 for the 1st May 1789
When did Brienne suspend all payments from the Crown treasury?
16tg August 1788
What caused a bad harvest in 1788?
Very wet spring and freak hailstones
What were the effects of a poor harvest in 1788? [2]
- lower demand for manufactured goods, as more money had to spent on food
- increase in the price of bread
During the winter of 1788-9, what % of a daily labourers wage would be spent on bread?
88%
How far did production in the textiles industry fall by?
50%
What foreign negotiation had affected the textile industry?
The Eden Treaty of 1786 with Britain, which allowed imports of British goods,including textiles, at a reduced rate of import duties
Who did ordinary people blame for food shortages?
Tithe-owners and landowners, who they thought were hoarding the grain
What did the food shortages do to the 3rd estate in relation to their attitude towards politics?
Politicised them, meant they began to see how poorly Louis was dealing with the whole situation
