Louis Xiv Dbq Essay

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DBQ

Louis the XVI’s reign was a time of political turmoil in France. Massive debt from his predecessors, especially Louis XIV, and from various wars caused numerous economic struggles for the entire country. Many people began to lose faith in an absolutist government and rooted their ideas in the Enlightenment. The people called for reform and, because of his weak position due to his earlier capitulations, Louis XVI had to call the first Estates General meeting in over a century. The three Estates came with their cahiers to address their concerns. The grievances laid out before the Estates General were both political and economical, and while the nation was successful in addressing (but not resolving) these requested reforms, the

Their decree in August of 1789 abolished feudalism, a long standing system which allowed nobles to exert unchecked power on peasants. Also, the Assembly called for the removal of noble privileges and equality in the eyes of the law. However, these reforms were still not enough for the misrepresented commoners. Later in 1789 they took to the streets during “the Great Fear.” At this time, the peasants started to seize land from the nobles and demand that all of their privileges be stripped. As seen in the map, the Great Fear affected most of France, making it a widespread event close to the revolution. Eventually, the peasants’ demands were met in the Declaration of the Rights of Man, giving all Estates inalienable

English agronomist Arthur Young retold his encounter with a French Peasant in 1789. He claimed the peasant said France was a sad country to live in and complained about the numerous taxes. Young also described the woman, saying she was only twenty-eight but looked to be in her seventies because of the toll the hard labor took on her body. While Young’s encounter matches what many French peasants would describe, his English point of view may have been skewed. French-English relations at the time were not good because of both the Seven Years War and the American Revolution, both of which the countries were on opposing sides. Young may have attempted to portray France as a terrible country to boost national pride at home in