The Efffects Of Louis 16Th On France — страница 2

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blamed for the events leading into the French Revolution. In this time period there were class tensions. The nobles had all the privileges and rights. The peasants were stepped on from every angle. So what made the nobles so desirable? There was glamour, distinction and recognition that the noble statues brought. They had a range of privileges that they received. Nobles took precedence on public occasions, and carried swords. (the French Revolution, sydenham, ..pg 61)They were entitled to a trial at a special courts. They also enjoyed financial advantages. They paid no duties on transferring feudal property and nobility conferred exemption from the basic tax, le taille (* Oxford, pg. 27) The wealthy consisted of the nobles, clergy and the bourgeoisie and there was approximately

120,000 wealthy. The peasants and commoners (middle and lower class) however were on the bottom and consisted of eighty percent of the population. They struggled to survive and were heavily taxed. The workers of France ate inferior bread to their betters, and wore clothing made of cheaper material. They spent half of their earnings on bread and were plagued with unemployment. In Paris the gap between the very rich ( minority) and the majority of peasants was large. The crisis of the western world was felt mostly in France. Population increase was accompanied by the fragmentation of peasant holdings, inadequate increase in agriculture productivity and bad harvests after 1770. Both wages of the commoner and the level of employment lagged behind the rising price of grain and other

basic necessities. Substantial sections of France were faced with declining standard of living. The result of this was death, emigration, and increased number of beggar, pauper and homeless citizens (* Revolution and Terror in France..pg20). The peasants were working hard or not at all, and the money they made was spent on bread and taxes. Many people were left homeless because they couldn?t pay the taxes. Even though the ?whole? situation was not Louis XVI?s personal fault, the choices and decisions he formed, made the situation even worse. During Louis XVI?s reign, he made some very poor decisions that could have influenced the end result of the French revolution. Firstly, He was influenced greatly by people around him (* Canadian Encyclopedia, Ref: Louis XVI). He was described

as not overly intelligent, inexperienced and not completely dedicated to his duties. Through-out his reign (1774-1792) the king was helped/supported and even betrayed by Necker. Necker made a lot of the king?s decisions and persuaded him. He seemed to be on Louis XVI?s side but then Necker published an account of the royal finances, which revealed the heavy costs of the privileges and favoritism. This action, not only went against the monarchy, but earned Necker popular acclaim. Necker also helped Louis decide that the commoners (third estate) would have as many voters as the First and Second Estate (clergy and nobility) combined. But both he and Louis failed to make a ruling on the method of voting (the head count was not granted). In 1770 Louis married Marie Antoinette,

youngest daughter of Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria. She influenced Louis to attend to the interests of Austria, and to ignore the financial crisis in France. She often stood in the way of Louis?s proposed reforms by talking him out of them ( Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette pg 488 ). She talked him into firing Turgot, who may have been able to prevent the revolution. Her lavish life style and the fact that she was a foreigner made her unpopular with the public. She also influenced Louis to spend incredible amounts of money on her. Secondly, due to the financial problems and the conflict between classes, the year 1788 proved to be difficult for all. All classes were discontent with the Ancien Regime and wanted a change. Louis XVI never took advantage of this situation to

introduce new reforms and gain the support of the people. Thirdly, under pressure from nobility and other influential powers, Louis agreed to meet with the Estates-General. Instead this encouraged further criticism of the Ancien Regime and provided a stronger force against the monarchy in France. All in all, Louis was incapable of a strong decision. He should have been capable of overcoming his problems. Louis?s powerful position should have allowed him to force taxes on the nobility. He should have never met with the Estates-General. Instead he should have introduced mild reforms to gain the support of the public. Perhaps if Louis XVI had been a stronger person the nobility, the clergy and his wife wouldn?t have influenced him to the same degree. As we have noticed, there were