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The government of France

- France governed by King Louis the Sixteenth (Louis XVI) - Absolute monarch - Louis’ wife was Marie Antoinette, married in 1770 - Lost popularity especially Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette - Hated her because she was foreign, sometimes called bitch - Spend money on clothes, jewelry, gambling, favorites at court, and thought of being unfaithful to Louis. - Spent huge sums of money creating village instead of improving poverty.

Use and abuse of power - Many people thought king had too much power - The king could arrest anyone as he wishes - Most sealed letters were to people that disagreed with the government - Lost more popularity, calling the king a dictator

Financial problems

The royal debt - Government deeply in debt - Spend more than receive in taxes - In 1765 government minister Calonne in charge of finance said the government was almost bankrupt, they had to increase taxes , spend less , or borrow more money

Attempt at reform - Calonne plan to reform tax, tax in land which all landowners pay - The reform was refused many times - Clergy tried to do everything to stop being taxed and delayed/refused Calonne - People in France protested angrily - Protests lasted for six months - August 1788 Louis gave in and held elections for Estate General, date was May 1 1789

The Estates General

- Nobles and clergy welcomed idea to call Estate General - So they can outvote the king and block king’s tax plans.

The voting system - The Estates General is made up for three estates with 250 members each. - The third estate complained unfair because it could be outvoted - The king agreed in 1788, with advise from Jaeques Neeker - Government bankrupt

The food crisis - Mass hunger in the countryside - July 13, 1788 massive hailstorm destroyed cornfields, vegetable plots, orchards and vineyards all over central France, followed by drought - Drought followed by the coldest winter, rivers froze, stopping watermills from grinding flour - Blocked roads prevented food from reaching markets - When snow suddenly thawed in the spring, flood ruined huge areas of farmland.

Summary: France was an absolute monarch, during the period of the France revolution, King Louis the 16th was the king. The people of France hated the queen Marie Antoinette because she was foreign, she spend money on luxuries and people thought she was not loyal to the king. The king abused his power by executing whoever he liked in sealed letters, the king lost more popularity. The government was highly in debt, almost bankrupt. Attempted to reform by voting on a new tax reform. During that time there was a food crisis where massive hunger spread in the countryside. Questions: 1. How can there be such a natural disaster? 2. Why won't the clergy vote for the reform since they're government is already bankrupt. 3. If the Queen cheated on the King, couldn't the king just ditch the queen?