short term causes

Question 1

main short term causes

Answer 1

foreign policy
financial crisis
political crisis
economic crisis

Question 2

Foreign policy - key events

Answer 2

Seven Years’ War
American war of independence

Question 3

Seven Years’ War
- dates
- countries involved
- events
- consequences

Answer 3

1756-1763

France and Austria were allies during war
France fought against Britain for colonial dominance

French forces in India and North America suffered series of defeats

France lost most of its overseas colonies by 1763
managed to retain the sugar-producing islands of Martinique & Guadeloupe

Question 4

American War of independence
- dates
- why did France join?
- outcome of war
- impact on France

Answer 4

1776-1783

France wanted revenge for 7 Years War against Britain
intervened in the war (1778), providing financial and military support to rebels e.g. Marquis de Lafayette

French intervention was decisive in the defeat of the British
Treaty of Versailles (1783) satisfied French honour

France was unable to recover territory lost during 7 Years’ war
due to cost of war - already weak financial situation of the Crown was worsened
French soldiers, exposed to democracy & liberty, wanted same rights when they got home

Question 5

Financial crisis

Answer 5

most important aspect was the huge deficit of the government

20th August 1786 - Calonne, Controller-General, told Louis XVI government was on verge of bankruptcy

Question 6

Deficit
-1786
- anticipation for 1789

Answer 6

Revenue - 475 million livres
Expenditure - 587 million livres - deficit of 112 million (~1/4 of total income)

increased to 126 million livres - 20% of total expenditure

receipts amount to 325 million livres
interest payments would be 62% of receipts

Question 7

2 main reasons for deficit & financial crisis

Answer 7

War
Tax

Question 8

reasons for deficit: War

Answer 8

between 1740-1783 - at war for 20 years
- War of Austrian Succession (1740-8)
- Seven Years’ War (1756-63)
- American War of Independence (1778-83)

cost to help US was 1,066 million livres

Necker financed the war by raising loans
- didn’t lead directly to revolution
- lack of elected parliaments to guarantee loans did not give lenders confidence

Question 9

reasons for deficit: Tax

Answer 9

Crown wasn’t receiving much of the tax revenue

no basic reforms until Crown recovered control of its finances

privileged classes were source of revenue that crown needed
- powerful resistance would occur from those with vested interests in maintaining status quo if any changes in taxation occurred

Question 10

Situation following Necker

Answer 10

Necker dismissed in 1781
Joly de Fleury succeeded him

Treasury was 160 million livres short for 1781
295 million livres short for 1782

Question 11

Fleury’s actions

Answer 11

Fleury & Calonne

undid much of Necker’s progress
- resumed practice of selling offices (many of which Necker had abolished)

both borrowed much more heavily than Necker

Question 12

Tax system reform - Calonne

Answer 12

1786
three part programme

Main proposal:
replace capitation and vingtième with single land tax
- would be a tax on land, and not on a person - would affect all landed proprietors
-> Church / nobles / commoners
no exemptions

second part:
- aimed to stimulate economy & ensure future tax revenue would increase
- proposed abandoning controls on grain trade and abolishing internal customs barriers

third part:
- try to restore national confidence
- would lead to new loans for the short term
- Calonne hoped the parlements would be less likely to oppose registration of his measures
- aimed to achieve display of national unity and consensus

Question 13

failure of tax reform process

Answer 13

Estates-General - representative of nation - needed to be summoned to approve reforms
rejected because they were too unpredictable

Calonne & Louis XVI chose a handpicked Assembly of Notables
- anticipated to be a body who would agree to approve reforms

144 members of Assembly met in February 1787
- became clear they would not collaborate
- representatives of privileged order - had most to lose

Notables urged for summoning of Estates-General
Louis XVI dismissed Calonne in April 1787
- saw strength of opposition towards him

Question 14

Estates-General

Answer 14

elected representatives of all three estates of realm
only summoned in times of extreme national crisis
last meeting in 1614

Question 15

Political crisis
Brienne

Answer 15

Calonne was replaced by Brienne
Lamoignon became head of judiciary
- Both were Notables

Assembly of Notables didn’t want to work with Brienne either

Brienne brought in reforms:
- new central treasury
- educational reform
- religious toleration
- reforming the army to make it more efficient and less expensive

Brienne’s reforms were refused by the Parlement of Paris
- it claimed only the Estates-General could consent to new taxes
in response, Louis exiled Parlement to Troyes on 15th August

Question 16

Response to Parlement of Paris’ exile

Answer 16

considered high handed
led to an aristocratic revolt
- most violent opposition to government in years

riots in provincial capitals where parlements met
- Rennes in Brittany

nobles met across the country in unauthorised assemblies in support of the parlements
- assemblu of the clergy also joined
- this broke long tradition of its loyalty to the Crown

Question 17

opposition to Louis’ Parlement exile

Answer 17

fragmented and dispersed
continued because of collapse of government’s finances

royal treasury was empty at the beginning of August 1788
Brienne agreed to summon Estates-General in 1st May 1789

16th August 1788 - Brienne suspended all payments from royal treasury
- Crown was bankrupt

Question 18

Louis’ response to the opposition

Answer 18

September 1788 - Louis forced to back down
Paris Parlement allowed to return

recalled Necker after resignation of Brienne & Lamoignon
- hoped he could restore government’s credits
- Necker refused to do anything before Estates-General met

Question 19

what did political crisis illustrate

Answer 19

limitations of royal power
Louis was officially an absolute ruler
- he was unable to impose government’s reforms on the State

Question 20

Economic crisis

Answer 20

economy largely based on agriculture
sector had been growing 1730s-1770s

2 main issues:
- bad harvests
- food shortages

Question 21

Economic crisis: bad harvests

Answer 21

1780s - series of major harvest failures
- 1778-9 / 1781-2 / 1785-6 / 1787
1788 was a major disaster
- wet spring & freak hailstones in July
poor harvest led to massive unemployment

Question 22

consequences of bad harvests

Answer 22

rise in food prices
- lower demand for manufactured goods - more money spent on food
- significant increase in price of bread

1726-1789 wheat prices increased by 60&
- during winter of 1788-9, 88% of labourer’s daily wage spent on bread

Production and employment in textile industries fell by 50% in 1789
- further affected by Eden Treaty of 1786
- allowed import of British goods at reduced rates of import duties

unemployment was rising alongside cost of living
- workers were unable to increase wages as production was stagnant or falling

Question 23

economic crisis: food shortages

Answer 23

tithe-owners & land owners accused of hoarding grain
- led to food riots in many areas where grain stores were attacked
- most frequent in spring and summer of 1789

led to politicisation of majority of Third Estate
- ordinary people actively blamed nobility
- felt that Louis XVI’s handling of the political crisis further exacerbated the situation

Question 24

politicisation

Answer 24

process in which people who were previously unconcerned with politics take an active interest in political issues which affect their daily lives