Causes of French Rev 2
Causes of French Rev 2
Causes of French Rev 2
Problem 1 MONEY
By 1787, the French government was bankrupt. It was 4000 million livres in debt. France had spent a lot of money fighting costly wars, but had nothing to show for it. Many people accused the royals, especially Queen Marie- Antoinette of spending too much money on luxuries. Others said that the tax system was corrupt and some tax-collectors did not hand all their taxes over to the government. In 1787 the King asked the nobility to help him reform the tax system. As we already know, members of the first and second estate did not have to pay some taxes. King Louis XVI wanted them to start paying some of them. It is not surprising that they refused to do so.
Source B. Members of the Third Estate swearing not to separate until they have given France a constitution.
TASKS
1) Write down each of the following words or terms, and what it means: Bankrupt; Reform; Estates General; deputies; cahiers de doleances; national assembly; constitution; tennis court oath. 2) Why was the French Government bankrupt in 1787? (think of more than one or two reasons) 3) What effect did the poor harvest have on the ordinary people of France? 4) Why might members of the third estate have felt under-represented at the meeting of the Estates General in May 1789? 5) What were the hopes of each of the parties involved? 6) What mistakes did Louis make at the meeting, and what did his mistakes lead to? (clue: look at problem 4) 7) Read source C. According to this source, what were French villages like? Were all French villages like the one described? Explain your answer. 8) What are the peasants of Brittany threatening at the end of source C? Use words from the source to add detail to your answer. 9) What does the author of source D think about the calling of the Estates General? 10) Using the information on this sheet, and your previous work on the causes of the French revolution, write an extended answer to the question, Why was France on the brink of revolution by 1789? Refer to and quote from sources in your answer. (You should aim to write at least 2 pages in your exercise book.)