When King Louis XVI was anointed as the new king, he found an empty treasury. Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France. On top of this, there was the cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles. France had helped the thirteen American colonies gain their independence from the common enemy, Britain. The war added more than a Billion lives to a debt that had already risen to more than 2 billion lives. Lenders who gave credit now began to charge 10 percent interest on loans. So the French Government had to spend an increasing percentage of its budget on interest payments alone. To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining an army, the court, running government offices, or Universities. Even this measure did not suffice because the French society was divided into 3 estates and only the 3rd estate had to pay taxes. 1st and 2nd estate did not pay any taxes. The population of France grew massively. This led to a rapid increase in demand for food grains. The production of grains could not keep pace with demand. So the price of bread which was the staple diet of the majority rose rapidly. Most workers were employed as laborers in workshops whose owner fixed their wages. But the wages did not keep pace with the rise in prices. So the gap between the rich and the poor widened. All these factors led to the outbreak of the French Revolution
Answered by Vishal kumar | 1 year agoHow would you explain the rise of Napoleon?
Would you agree with the view that the message of universal rights was beset with contradictions? Explain.
Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origins could be traced to the French Revolution.
Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the peoples of the world during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Which groups of French society benefited from the revolution? Which groups were forced to relinquish power? Which sections of society would have been disappointed with the outcome of the revolution?