Реферат: The Efffects Of Louis 16Th On France

financial crisis steadily worsened, because the government was bankrupt. Louis was

forced to call a meeting with a delegate of the Estates-General, ( a government group

consisting of representatives of the clergy, nobility and commoners). Once in the

meeting the Estates-General took power of the government. One of the other causes of

the national debt was at the fault of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Louis XVI was

described as not overly intelligent, weak and incapable king (* Encarta, ref: Louis XVI).

But he was intelligent enough to get money from the government. It was well known

that Louis was more concerned with his own personal affairs than with the interests of

the court and the people. Often work bored him and he left his work up to his advisors

an ministers. He preferred to spend a lot time and the people?s money on extravagant

things, and his wife. Rather than paying back previous debts and helping the situation,

he increased taxes on the peasants and spent more money, worsening the predicament.

By 1787, the national debt was 112,000,000 livres (* the French Revolution, Albert…

pg. 25) and continued to get worse, sharpening the national debt even more.

In the time leading up into and during the French Revolution there was class

tensions, often between the nobility and the peasants. There were also poor living

conditions. Some say that these situations are not Louis XVI?s fault but were problems

he inherited with the throne. So he cannot be 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