How did the financial weaknesses of the French monarchy lay the foundations for the revolution in 1789?

Answer 1

Beginning with Louis XIV the French Monarchy began to spend an exorbitant amount of money. The building and maintenance of Versailles and wars sucked money from France.This policy was continued with Louis XV, who is credited with the quote, " after us, the deluge" referring to the impending collapse of France. Unfortunately, Louis XV's foresight into impending doom did not prevent his spending and lavish parties and Louis XVI was left with a country that was on the edge of disaster. By 1789, France was still paying off debts from Louis XIV's wars, supporting the excesses of the monarchy and nobility, and was considered thoroughly bankrupt.

Meanwhile, the first estate (the clergy), the second estate (the nobles) and many bourgeoisie were exempt from taxation. This resulted in the third estate (everyone not in the first two estates, but mostly peasants) paying the burden of taxes. Taxes were paid to the lords, the king, the Church meanwhile prices for rent and food (bread,especially) increased due to old farming methods and lack of resources. Throw into the mix a bad harvest in 1788/1789 and you have yourself a famine which made matters worse--the cost of living was increasing much faster than wages.

Louis XVI (actually it was his finance minister Jacques Necker who had earlier attempted to balance taxes and was dismissed until being called back in 1788) decided to call an estates general (a meeting of all the estates). Necker's cause was to get the estates-general to grant France more money (consenting to taxes) but instead the third estate (Necker was considered sympathetic to their condition) began to push for reforms.

Unfortunately, a miscommunication caused the third estate to get locked out of their meeting hall at Versailles and the third estate, who included not only peasants but also the newly wealthy (bourgeoisie) who wanted more access to power and privilege that was being reserved for the first and second estates (the tradiitonal power structure), became angry. One example of this power was that although the third estate was granted double representation (they had more delegates) they would still have to vote in the old method--each estate counted as ONE vote. Thus, the first and second estate could outvote the third simply by agreeing (which was a common occurence). Outraged at the lock-out (and other issues like the voting) and considering it a message from the King (as mentioned earlier it is actually considered by historians to have been a miscommunication and not a purposeful slight against the third estate) the third estate met in an indoor handball court nearby and vowed to not concede their power until a constitution was created and then began to call themselves the National Assembly ( this is known as the Tennis Court Oath, but many historians note the location as a handball court, not a tennis court). This is noted as the begninning of the revolution and the rest is, well, history.

As a sidenote, Necker was blamed for the revolution (although the idea for an estates-general began with an earlier finance minister Colonne) and he was dismissed from his post and exiled--which angered the peasantry and was considered a direct cause for the storming of the Bastille--

I hope this is not too much--I teach AP World History and like to be thorough.

Answer 2

Because they spent money as if it were water. They blew the French treasury on material goods and bankrupted their government.

Heck, be thankful credit cards weren't around back then because Marie Antoinette would've been in debt faster than you'd know it. Her husband bought her "cute" little mini-palaces and castles and stuff and that cost the Third Estate more tax money.

The rest of France decided that enough was enough and realized that they needed a regime change and fast. They got rid of the monarch, sold the church property to pay the debts (much to the dismay of the higher class priests), etc.

Answer 3

People were starving and the treasury was pretty much spent so they had no way to really feed the people. And if you go to www.history.com and look up the louis XVI info you will see there was an internal conspiracy to take the throne and prosper. Inevitably those forces were going to cause the fall of the French Crown because they wanted wealth and power and saw no other way than to use the public to do their dirty work. Most of them were exposed later for their treachery but still they ended up in war and bloodshed.

Answer 4

The monarchy was having trouble supplying enough wheat to its subjects. Bread (well, baguettes) was a staple of the French diet. Thus, when the subjects began to get restless, Marie Antoinette famously said, "let them eat cake!" when told they did not have bread.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back and led to the revolution.