French Revolution: The Beginnings
Cause of Revolution
- There are four main courses of the French Revolution
- Debt
- Taxation Issues
- Failure of Reform
- Famine
Debt
- The debt of the French government was around 8 to 12 billion livre (their currency)
- Louis XVI spent a lot of money on very luxurious things, instead of being financially responsible
- Also they still had war debts from the Seven Years War with England (1756-1763
- Much of their debt was compiled because they weren’t exploring like their rival, England
- England was able to use the colonies as a steady source of income
- France had not completely brought into mercantilism either at this time like England had
Taxation
- France, at this time, was heavily involved in trading (Good)
- However, to be a great trading country, you cannot have high tariffs, so you need to tax heavily on your people (Bad)
- Masses of people of France, not too thrilled with this idea. Also nobles did not pay these taxes
Failure of Reform
- Some French “economists” stated that the nobles should be included in taxation
- This plan backfired, as peasants had to pay even more than before
- France continued to stick with their economic plan even though they were continuing to go deeper and deeper into debt
Famine
- Crop failure in the 1780’s didn’t help much either
- Supply and demand occurs here with bread
- Call to the point where peasants thought the crown had wished for them to die (conspiracy)
Guillotine
- The condemned person is secured at the bottom of the frame, with his or her neck held directly below the blade
- However, it continued to be used longer after the Revolution but remained France’s standard method of judicial execution until the abolition of capital punishment with the backing of President Francis Mitterand in 1981 (a little more than 30 years ago)
Marie Antoinette
- Born in Vienna, Austria
- Married Louis the XVI
- Became the Queen of France
- Had two sons and two daughters
- Very popular with the people at the beginning of her reign
- At the end of her reign, very unpopular
- Executed by the guillotine
Napoleon
- Military leader during the later stages of the Revolution
- Became the Emperor of the French in 1804
- Known for: Napoleonic Code, Height, Bottle Tactics, Waterloo
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