House of Cards

1
House of Cards

• The Collapse of the Ancien Regime

2
The Rise

• The 30 Years War ended with France one of the
  dominant powers on the continent.
• France was poised to rule the world it had a
  large army, ample resources and a strong
  centralised government under the Bourbons or
  administrators such as Cardinal Richelieu.
• However, even as they consolidated their position
  in Europe it was slipping from their grasp.

3
Changes in France

• France, as with other parts of Europe, was
  experiencing changes.
• The population was around 26 million people
• X 2 the population of Spain
• X 3 the population of England
• Between 1701 1800 Frances population rose 44
  (16 million 26 million)
• State funded industrialism through Mercantilism
  created industries that boosted the standard of
  living for most Frenchmen. The rate of growth was
  only a fraction of the British rate of
  industrialism.

4
Political Changes

• Ideas of the Enlightenment took root over the
  18th century.
• In the process the ideas became more polarised
  and radicalised.
• The American Rebellion (1774 - 1783) served as an
  example for elements of French society.
• Thomas Paine root and branch change

5
Festering sores

• Despite the positive changes in France it was
  negated by Frances disasterous foreign policies.
  
• In order to de-stabilse nations like England the
  French governments paid huge subsidies to rebels
  and nobles.
• The French government built expensive works for
  little return
• Louisbourg
• Palace of Versailles
• Fought for the wrong sides
• Throughout the 1700s, the French fought and
  lost, and lost, and lost.
• These policies served to collectively undermine
  the successes that might have been enjoyed.

6
The Flashpoint

• The French had backed the American rebels against
  the British. The effort was expensive in terms of
  money. The French got nothing from the expense
  accept the joy of seeing the British being ground
  down to a stalemate.
• Starting in the 1770s, the Kings finance
  minister (Comptroller General) warned of a need
  to make tax reforms.
• The system of taxes was inefficient and had too
  many loopholes for those who had the wealth
  nobles and the church.
• The three estates

7
The Three Estates

• First Estate The Clergy
• Represent 1 of the nations population
• Owned 15 of the land worth approximately 60
  million dollars (1700s value).
• From this income they gave gifts of c. 1 million
  dollars. (should pay c. 10 million)
• Second Estate The Nobility
• Represent 1.5 of the nations population
• Four classes
• Nobles of the Sword old families
• Nobles of the Robe judges and administrators
• Nobles of the Bell municipal officials
• Anoblis people who buy titles (kings sock
  holder)
• Third Estate Everyone Else
• Represents 98 of the population
• Was not uniform or united
• Bourgeoisie, Landed peasants, city workers,
  farmers

8
Taxes!!!!!

• While the first and second estates represented 2
  of society, they represented the majority of the
  nations wealth.
• The system of collection was based on tax
  farmers people / officials who paid for the
  privilege to collect it. In return they were
  allowed to skim from the top.
• The average Frenchmen paid a number of taxes to
  the state, the noble, and the church.

9
State

• Taille on income / property
• Vingtiemes 1/20th surcharge on income
• Capitation head of households
• On top of this were indirect taxes and the Corvee
  which was organised labour in the name of the
  king.

10
Nobles

• The nobles had by the 1700s dismantled the formal
  system of feudalism.
• But the nobles still had the power to levy taxes
  on the peasants who rented land from them. This
  was usually in the form of crops.

11
Church

• The church generated money through ownership of
  farms and property on which it collected rent.
  All of it tax free.
• The church also had the right to demand a tax
  directly from the people.
• Tithe 3 8 of crop or income.
• Most peasants did not mind this tax accept that
  the money often did not stay in the community
  with the local priests.

12
The End of the Game

• The disasterous and expensive wars forced the
  French government to borrow heavily against
  future income.
• After 20 years of this kind of fiscal policy no
  one wanted to lend the king money anymore.
• Almost 50 of taxes collected went to pay the
  interest alone.
• National debt of 4 billion livres. (c. 30 billion
  dollars in todays currency)
• The king tried to find new ways to pay the debt
  down enough to float more loans.

13
Comptroller General Jacques Necker

• In charge 1776 1781
• He played a shuffling game to keep cash flowing
  to fund the American Rebellion
• Asked for sweeping powers to reform the tax
  farming system.
• He crossed Marie Antionette over the publication
  of pensions given to the royal court.
• She led the move to fire him Louis agreed.

14
Comptroller General Charles Alexandre de Calonne

• After a two year term by a non entity he took
  office.
• 1783 1787
• He tried to keep things afloat but ran out of
  options by the late 1780s
• He decided he needed to tax the church and the
  nobles they were not amused.

15
The Nobles Rebel

• In order to get the reforms to tax the rich,
  Calonne asked the king to call together
  handpicked group of nobles to rubber stamp his
  decrees.
• The king selected his Assembly of Notables
• Met in February 1787
• They immediately attacked Calonnes reforms
• Calonne fled the country
• The nobles demanded the king listen to their
  complaints in the traditional form of governance
• Blocked Calonnes successors effort to reform but
  pushed that only a national body had the
  authority to approve the reforms being sugested.
• Estate General hadnt been formed since 1614.