Events
Louis XVI was now the King of France, and tried to push fiscal reforms, but failed due to his incapabilityJacques Necker, Director - General of Finances issues his Compte Rendu,
which stated that the government was in sound financial positionNecker resigned in May -
due to lack of support from the King in further reforming financeCharles Calonne was Controller-General of Finances
from 1783 to 1787Charles Calonne proposed a
direct land tax and the reduction of some privileges of the nobles and clergy.
To gain support,
Calonne had
King Louis call an Assembly of NotablesThe Poor Harvests had
crop failures and
severe winters,
which later resulted in a very
bad hailstorm which destroyed crops,
and resulted
in the worst harvest in 40 years, which also resulted
in bread prices risingAn Assembly of the Notables met at Versailles in February.
It consisted of the nobility, bishops,
and bureaucrats who Louis thought would help the reforms
that were needed to straighten out Frances financial issuesCalonne was dismissed by Louis in April
and replaced by Archbishop Brienne
of ToulouseIn May,
the Assembly
was DismissedThe Paris Parlement was exiled
to Troyes - it returned to Paris
in September 1788The Parlements rights to protest
royal edicts was removedThe Royal Treasury
was BankruptThe King Granted
the Third Estate double
representative thoughwith limited votingReveillon made a speech in the
local preparatory meeting for
the Estates - General
and expressed his concerns about
the economic conditions in Paris,
but his comments were misreported
and instead said to have argued for the
reducing of wagesA crowd of local artisans and workers
originally
staged protest marches against ReveillonProtesters attacked and
destroyed Revillons home and factory
as well as HenriotOpening of the
Estates-General at VersaillesThe Third Estate adopts the title
of National AssemblyThe Tennis Court Oath occurred,
where Bailly stood on a makeshift
table as each deputy approached
with their handheld high, making
a verbal oath and then singing
a written copy which became
known as the Tennis Court OathKing dismissed Necker,
as over 30 thousand troops
surrounded VersaillesMobs started storming the Bastille
where 60 thousand people demanded
musketsThe Great Fear was huge as
the King's authority collapsed in Paris.
Peasants were scared, which later
lead to them attacking tax officers and
burning documents outlining rents and duesThe August Decrees was a legal form
that contained different articles that
ended the noble privilege and power
and formed a more equal societyThe abolishment of feaudal rightsThe National Assembly
proclaims freedom of religion and the pressThe Decleration of the
Rights of Man and CitizenOctober days was when a crowd of several thousand Parisians, many of them women,
marched on Versailles to
pressure the royal government
Comments