Conditions- Pre French
Revolution
Mrs. Craig
Conditions
Traces of serfdom
 Business small scale-guilds still powerful
 Rank/wealth represent extreme privilege
and exempt from taxes
 Clergy- came from nobility exempt from
taxes church accumulated much wealth
 Censorship- death to dissenting views but
not always enforced (lettre du cachet)

Taxes- prior to Revolution
Tithe- 10% to church
 Taille- land tax
 Capitation- head tax
 Corvee- highway tax
 Gabelle- salt tax
 Feudal dues from ancient contracts
 Peasants bore most taxes- sometimes
80% of earnings

Estates General
 1st
estate- clergy 2% tax exempt
 2nd estate- nobility 3% tax exempt
 3rd estate – rest of pop peasants tilled
land and small middle class but most poor

Each estate had one vote– not summoned
since 1614
Peasants grievance process
Parlements
 Cahiers
 Remonstrances
 Pamphlets –written and unsigned

Louis XV
Poor leader
 Continued oppressive rule
 Personal life scandals
 Madame de Pompadour
 Died of small pox- people hoped for
better with Louis XVI- NO DICE!

Louis XVI 1174-1793
Heavy , poorly educated kind of heart but
indolent
 Simple lifestyle- family man
 Not up to challenges of governing
 Marie Antoinette/ 3 children (daulphin)
 Not up to dealing with financial crisis

Financial ministers
Turgot- wants to cut expenses (court alone
costs $12 mill annually) resistance from
notables – urge firing of Turgot
 Necker- a banker borrowed money to meet
expenses- including AM Rev.- presented a
financial report to Louis- was publishedcommon people see taxes and expensesincreases 3rd est. dissatisfaction -treasury in
debt 25 mill more annually
 Calonne- want to tax ALL- notables refused
Calonne fired and Louis called Estate
General…. And the rest is history!!!
