23 Questions
What event marked the beginning of a new political order in France and eventually throughout the West?
The French Revolution
During the 1790s, who would cause more influence over the fate of the Continent than aristocrats, royal ministers, or monarchs?
Small-town provincial lawyers and Parisian street orators
Who would defeat armies composed of professional soldiers led by officers from the nobility?
Citizen armies commanded by people of modest origin
What would be challenged by the existence of the French Revolution?
The Roman Catholic faith in France and Christianity itself
What would Europe embark on almost a quarter century of as a result of the French Revolution?
War
Where did the origins of the French Revolution lay?
In a much more mundane problem
What principles did the French Revolution bring to the foreground?
Civic equality and popular sovereignty
Who would be executed during the French Revolution?
The king and queen of France
What challenged the major political and social institutions of Europe?
Principles of civic equality and popular sovereignty
Who would exercise more influence over the fate of the Continent during the 1790s?
Small-town provincial lawyers and Parisian street orators
Who would challenge the existence of the Roman Catholic faith in France and Christianity itself?
The French Revolution
What would eventually extend across the continent as a result of the French Revolution?
War
What was the main cause of the financial crisis faced by the French royal government in the late 1780s?
Heavy expenditures associated with supporting the American revolution
What was the impact of the royal debt on the French budget on the eve of the revolution?
Interest and payments on the royal debt amounted to just over one-half of the entire budget
Who bore the heaviest tax burden due to France's inability to collect sufficient taxes?
Peasants
What was the monarchs' struggle related to the political power of aristocratic institutions and the parlements?
They lacked the character, resolution, and political skills to resolve the dispute with the aristocracy
What was the response of the parlements, dominated by the aristocracy, to the monarchy's attempts to increase taxes on the nobility?
Used the language of liberty and reform to defend their cause
What was the perception of Louis XVI's authority and effectiveness?
Considered detached and ineffective
What was the public image of the French monarchy in contrast to other contemporary monarchs?
Faced a more problematic public image and daily reality
What was the role of the French Estates General in the lead-up to the revolution?
Summoned for the first time since 1614, leading to a new set of issues and problems that ultimately led to the revolution
What was the main reason for the ongoing conflicts between the monarchy and aristocratic and ecclesiastical institutions?
Monarchy's search for adequate revenues
What was the monarchy's attempt in the face of the financial crisis?
Increase taxes on the nobility
How did the parlements defend their cause against the monarchy's attempts to increase taxes on the nobility?
Used the language of liberty and reform
Study Notes
The Financial Crisis of the French Monarchy
- By the late 1780s, the French royal government faced a financial crisis due to the heavy expenditures associated with supporting the American revolution.
- The monarchy's search for adequate revenues led to ongoing conflicts with aristocratic and ecclesiastical institutions.
- The French Estates General was summoned for the first time since 1614, leading to a new set of issues and problems that ultimately led to the revolution.
- On the eve of the revolution, the interest and payments on the royal debt amounted to just over one-half of the entire budget.
- France's inability to collect sufficient taxes led to an impoverished government, with peasants bearing the heaviest tax burden.
- The monarchy struggled to come to terms with the political power of aristocratic institutions and the parlements.
- The monarchs lacked the character, resolution, and political skills to resolve the dispute with the aristocracy.
- The monarchy's attempts to increase taxes on the nobility faced opposition from both the Parlement of Paris and provincial parlements.
- The parlements, dominated by the aristocracy, used the language of liberty and reform to defend their cause.
- The monarchy lost much of its moral authority, with Louis XVI considered detached and ineffective, and Marie Antoinette facing vicious accusations.
- The French monarch stood at a distinct popular disadvantage in his clashes with the aristocracy.
- In contrast to other contemporary monarchs, the French monarchy faced a more problematic public image and daily reality.
Test your knowledge of the financial crisis that plagued the French monarchy in the late 18th century. Explore the impact of heavy expenditures, conflicts with aristocratic and ecclesiastical institutions, and the summoning of the French Estates General. Learn about the struggles faced by the monarchy in resolving disputes with the aristocracy and the consequences leading up to the revolution.
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