T1: Causes of the Revolution Flashcards
series of bad harvests in the…
1780s
PARTICULARLY bad harvest in…
1788
price of bread in Paris increased by over 50%
Aug 1788- March 1789
uprisings in Paris
summer 1789
the Great Fear
1789
what organisation was indirect tax collected by?
La Ferme Generale
what percentage of state income did indirect taxes account for?
55%
what percentage of state revenue was generated by direct taxation on land?
only 1.6%
43% state expenditure was committed to debt
1780
what was state revenue compared to expenditure in 1786?
revenue = 472 million livres
expenditure = 633 million livres.
Louis XVI signed military alliance with the USA
1778
how much did the American Revolutionary War cost France?
1.3 bill livres
in 1788, what percentage of state expenditure was spent on debt?
over 50% (grown from 43% in 1780 due to American Rev War)
what percentage of the states expenditure was by the royal court?
6%
how many people bought venal titles in the 18th century?
30,000-50,000
what were the consequences of bad harvests in 1780s?
- rural poverty increases
- demand for manufactured goods decreases
- urban unemployment increases and leads to increased urban poverty
- urban poverty also increased by high bread prices
2 reasons why Louis XVI inherited large debt?
- Louis XV’s Seven Years’ War
- previous Bourbon kings had has to take out large loans to make up for inefficient taxation system
how much state expenditure was committed to debt by 1780?
43%
in what year was state expenditure 161 million livres higher than revenue?
1786
what was the consequence of massive crown debt?
state couldn’t afford to govern well or help those in poverty (to reduce discontent)
how did France help USA win victory over Britain in American Revolutionary War?
provided arms and resources
when did American Rev War end?
1783
in what year had the proportion of state expenditure on debt grown to over 50%? why?
1788, American Rev war
how did the proportion of state expenditure committed to debt change in the 1780s?
1780- 43%
1788- >50%
what was the economic impact of the system of venality?
provided short-term income but detrimental long-term as removed tax-paying 3rd Estate. also increased corruption at court and led to incompetence - not meritocratic.
