French Revolution
- Cause
- Debt
- Taxation issues
- Failure of reform
- Famine
- Debt
- French government was around 8-12 billion livre (their currency)
- King Louis spent a lot of money on very luxurious things, instead of being financially responsible
- Also they still had was debts from the seven years’ war
- Much of the 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 bought into mercantilism either at this time like England had
- Taxation
- France at this time, was heavily involved in trading
- However, to be a great trading country, you can’t have high tariffs, so you need to tax heavily on your people
- Masses of people of France, not too thrilled with this idea. Also nobles didn’t pay these taxes
- Failure to 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
- Got to the point where peasants thought the crown had wished for them to die
- Guillotine
- Condemned person is secured at the bottom of the frame, with his or her neck held directly below the blade
- Marie Antoinette
- Queen of France
- Born in Vienna, Austria
- Married Louis the 16th
- Had one son and one daughter
- 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
- Napleonic Code
- Height
- Battle Tactics
- Waterloo
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