How did the financial weaknesses of the French monarchy lay the foundations of the revolution of 1789?

Answer 1

The financial weaknesses of the French monarchy began at the beginning of the 18th Century. France, at the beginning of the 1700s, was governed by the absolutist monarch King Louis XIV or aka the Sun King. King Louis XIV made French culture revolve around the monarchy as he fought constant dynastic wars. These wars cost France dearly as Louis XIV's wars of gloire, or glory, culminated in nothing more than a return to the status quo. The War of the Grand Alliance, which was one of King Louis XIV's earliest conflicts, pitted France against primarily Austria (then a part of the nonexistent "Holy Roman Empire"), England, and Holland. The war began in 1688 after Louis XIV invaded the German Palatinate, causing many Germanic states and Spain to oppose him. When the war ended in 1695, both sides had won little or in some cases absolutely nothing. Another one of King Louis's wars of gloire was the War of the Spanish Succession. The causes of this war originated shortly after the death of the Spanish king, who had no legitimate successor. An alliance comprising of Austria, Great Britain (which was the result of the nations of Scotland and England uniting in the early 1700s), and Holland supported their nominee to the Spanish throne wheras King Louis XIV supported his grandson, Phillip of Anjou, as a candidate. A war resulted in the two sides's different political beliefs. The War of the Spanish Succession brought about two prominent military commanders in the war, the Duke of Marlborough from Britain and the Prince Euguene of Savoy from Austria, who proved great military examples for future dynastic wars. The war resulted in the crowning of Louis XIV's grandson, Phillip d'Anjou, as King of Spain if France and Spain did not merge together. Louis XIV died shortly after the war, becoming the longest serving monarch in European history. Louis XIV revolutionized French culture as he left France with several majestic wonders, such as Versailles. However, he also left France in mammoth debt as France suffered economically in Louis's wars. After Louis XIV's death, his great-grandson was too young to rule all by himself so a regent was appointed to take his place until the to be monarch was old enough to rule independently. The regent was the Duke d'Orleans, who favored the French nobility. During his regent reign, the Duke d'Orleans passed several laws saying that the monarch had to be approved by a court of nobles, known as the parlement, in order for his law to become official. However, Louis XIV's idea of absolutism, or divine right, was a popular idea embraced by his two succeeding monarchs of the Bourbon Dynasty. Louis XIV's great-grandson became King Louis XV as he quickly took power into his own hands. In an attempt to mimic the actions and ideas of his great-grandfather, Louis XV did away with the parlements installed by the Duke d'Orleans during the duke's regent reign and also plunged France into more dynastic wars. The causes of the War of the Austrian Succession, which began originally as the crowning of Maria Theresa as Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, was started after King Frederick II of Prussia invaded Silesia, sparking a war with Austria. King Louis XV decided it was his duty to support the Prussians in order to oppose Austrian, British, and Dutch ideas. During the conflict, a Jacobite uprising was flaring in Scotland, led by the Bonnie Prince Charles who claimed the British throne through his grandfather, King James II who was ousted from the English throne by the Dutch William of Orange, who became King William III of England. The French were scoring several victories on the mainland as it threatened Britain with an invasion that it could not afford to launch. France, in order to undermine the British cause, supported Bonnie Prince Charles with armaments and supplies. However, the Jacobite uprising was suppressed at the Battle of Culloghen as the Duke of Cumberland's heavily trained soldiers defeated the Jacobites. The war ended yet again in the status quo of mainland Europe, but Britain had gained successes in North America as some French territories in Canada were given to the British. King Louis XV was driving France into more debt as his royalist, absolutist ideology managed to intensify France's debt. King Louis XV was becoming old with age when the Seven Years War brought out in 1756. In 1756, Prussian King Frederick II (aka Frederick the Great) invaded Saxony, angering Austria and several other Germanic states. Louis XV decided to support the Austrians against the Prussians, seeing that other nations, such as the Russians who had gained European respect through their victory over the Swedes in the Great Northern War, were supporting the anti-Prussian cause. Britain was Prussia's only legitimate ally as it did whatever it could to support its ally with armaments and supplies. Britain was more focused on winning territory in North America and in India rather than fighting the amalgamated armies of Austria, Russia, and France on the mainland. In North America, the conflict was referred to as the French and Indian War, seeing how thousands of Native Americans joined the side of the French. The British Royal Navy managed to win North America for Britain as it managed to destroy and capture a large number of French ships bringing in supplies for the war effort. With France focused on Prussian armies in Central and Western Europe, it had little time and money to spend on fighting Britain overseas. The Prussian armies were difficult to fight as Frederick II was discovered to be a great military tatician. The war ended more for Britain's benefit rather than other nations. France lost almost all of its North American territory as one half of it (Canada) was ceded to Britain while the other half (the future Louisiana Purchase) went to its ally, Spain, who had lost a gradual portion of its navy fighting the British along with losing Florida. King Louis XV was gradually upset at how focusing on Prussia resulted in France gaining little in comparison to Britain or Spain. And when the Prussians were almost defeated, Russia switched sides after the crowning of Czar Peter III of Russia. France was severely damaged economically by the war as it could not tolerate the pain of absolutism much longer. King Louis XV led his economically-crippled nation until his death in 1774. After his death, his successor was crowned as King Louis XVI. Louis XVI, during the early years of his reign, saw the American states break away from Britain and fight the mightiest empire of the time. Although the Americans were fighting for freedom and liberty, Louis XVI thought that as the least important reason for intervening in the war. However, before France got into the war with the Americans, it would have to receive evidence that the Americans fought fiercely. And then, in 1777, the Battle of Saratoga proved victorious for the Americans as the British forces under General Burgoyne had surrendered to General Howe of the Americans. The French General Lafeyette, a French aristocrat, fought alongside the Americans. In 1781, the British General Cornwallis surrendered to the Americans and French as the Battle of Yorktown was won by the combined forces. The Americans signed a cease-fire with the British in 1783 as the Treaty of Paris granted the American states their independence from Britain along with all territory west of the Mississippi (excluding Florida and Canada). The French veterans who had fought alongside the Americans against the British returned with revolutionary ideas, especially Lafayette. These soldiers campaigned with the French classes for a legislative-like assembly to limit the king's powers. Food shortages became frequent as prices for food soared due to gradual inflation. The treasury of France was virtually drained as all the wars and royalist activities since Louis XIV caused France to suffer severe economic damage. After King Louis XVI attempted to dissolve the parlements, or courts made up of nobles, the French classes campaigned for freedom and liberty. King Louis XVI allowed the Estates-General to form, a legislative-like government structure that was made up of three classes: the nobles, the Catholic clergy, and the French common man that represented about 97% of France. In 1789, a French mob stole arms from an arsenal and stormed the Bastile, a French prison that at the time had very few prisoners. King Louis XVI, afterwards, reduced his autocratic position to one of a constitutional monarch. The French Revolution would take about two decades as it was heavily influenced by the American Revolution that many French men fought in. In 1792, the king was executed as a republic was formed.