Thursday, March 28th

French Revolution – The beginnings:

There are four main causes 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 Year’s wars (with England) 1756-1763
-Much of their debt was complied because they weren’t exploring like than 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. (Good)
-However, to be a great trading country, you cannot have high tariffs, so you need to tax heavily on 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 economics 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 (conspiracy!)

Guillotine- Structure for death

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 long after the Revolution and remained France’s standard method of judicial execution until abolition of capital punishment with the backing of President Francois Mitterrand in 1981. (a little more than 30 years ago.)

Marie Antoinette

Napoleon

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