French Revolution Essay - 2188 Words

France was a nation ruled by an absolute monarch who had power beyond the grasp of any peasant, and just out of the reach of the aristocracy. King Louis XIV (1774 - 1791) of France was not willing to give up his monopoly that had existed for seventeen years. It was the perfect situation for his absolute government, and may have remained that way if he had been able to manage France’s finances successfully. More money had been spent on roads canals and wars then were being collected through taxes. In addition the government lost control over the bourgeois class. The bourgeois (working class merchants) gained control by using the disorganized peasant class, members of the Third Estate, who presented their grievances in cahiers to the†¦show more content†¦It is impossible for a government to run a nation without a healthy economy. Expenses were set down in March of 1788 at 629,000,000 livres and revenues at 503,000,000, leaving a deficit of 126,000,000, or 20 pe r cent of expenses. It was proposed that the difference should be made up by borrowing, but this action only paid off older loans and had no positive effect on the economy of France. The answer to this problem was to increase old taxes and introduce new ones. Louis XVI tried to decree new taxes to ease financial strain but parliament refused; Louis did not have the power to institute new taxes. Needing funds to carry out the day to day activities of France, King Louis XVI’s minister of finance, Jacques Necker, was called upon to solve the problem. He informed Louis XVI to call the Estates General to assembly in hopes that it would agree to an increase in taxation in return for limited royal reforms. This meeting was the last method Louis XVI had at his disposal to refill the treasury and when it failed, the absolute government he had grown accustomed to was in danger of becoming extinct. The Aristocracy maintained great power in the government when they refused to re linquish their privilege of paying a minimal amount in taxes. The government needed this money to help stabilize the dwindling economic conditions. They called a meeting of Notables to try to persuade the aristocracy to help the FrenchShow MoreRelatedThe French Revolution And The Revolution1523 Words   |  7 PagesThe French Revolution was a time rife with violence, with many revolutionaries using extreme actions to overturn the French Monarchy and create a government based on equality and justice, rather than tyranny and despotism. 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