To What Extent Did the Financial Crisis of France, Bring About a Revolution in 1789 Essay

The extent of France’s financial crisis was enormous enough to bring about the revolution in a form of a landslide to its people. France’s financial situation before the revolution began was a huge economic depression with an ever-increasing Royal debt. The financial system at that time was also very medieval in nature in regards to the inhuman taxes forced to be paid by the French Third Estate, taxes such as the Corvée and the Gabelle. The salt tax was a tax that was used back in the Dark Ages that forced citizens over the age of 7 to buy 7 pounds of salt each year at a commanded price. However, during the reign of King Louis XVI, France has applied a state monopoly on the salt and still forced everyone to purchase the salt at a high price but also at a very low quality. The salt tax and the tax collection system were considered to be the one of the most intolerable aspects of the financial system at that time. This heavy taxation on the Third Estate gave rise to the increase of Parisian demonstrating and revolting against the government.
During the reign of the King Louis the XVI, France went through many Comptroller-General, also known as the “Finance Minister”. France went through about six different Comptroller-General, each one with his ways of the solving the financial problem in his own way. In the end after disappointing the King, the Parlement, and even the citizens themselves, were sacked. Most of the Comptroller-Generals had almost the same solution, to tax the First and Second Estate of France (the nobles and the clergy), and to get rid of most taxes. However, all of these reforms failed or was declined by the Parlement, which in fact at that time was run by the First and Second Estate, whom does not wish to be taxed.
Jacques Necker (1776-1781), the Comptroller-General for France at the time, was one of the King’s closest advisors, helped lighten the financial crisis somewhat at the time. He also without the knowledge of the King, publish a book...