How did King Louis XVI's character cause the french revolution?

Answer 1

Actually, he wasn't. The French had had Louis XIV and Louis XV as their monarchs before him and they spend horrendous amounts on state money. The French became quite angry about that even when Louis XV was still on the throne. By the time Louis XVI inherited the throne and became their monarch, there was no stopping an already smouldering revolution. Louis XVI might have been able to stop the revolution if he would have been tougher, if he would have taken a stand and make the people feel that he was their Monarch. Instead, he didn't do much, surrendered himself without a fight and told his guards never to use any violence Not even when a revolutionary man punched him in the face even before he was arrested. He said only to want the best for his "good people".

Answer 2

King Louis XVI and his wife Queen Marie Antoinette lost their monarchical power during the French Revolution. They inherited an enormous state debt (by Louis XIV and Louis XV). Also, Louis XVI was indecisive and not firm enough to rule.

Radical financial reforms by Turgot and Malesherbes angered the nobles and were blocked by the parlements who insisted that the King did not have the legal right to levy new taxes. So Turgot was dismissed in 1776 and Malesherbes resigned in 1776 to be replaced by Jacques Necker. Necker supported the American Revolution, and proceeded with a policy of taking out large international loans instead of raising taxes. When this policy failed miserably, Louis dismissed him, and replaced him in 1783 with Charles Alexandre de Calonne, who increased public spending to 'buy' the country's way out of debt. Again this failed, so Louis convoked the Assembly of Notables in 1787 to discuss a revolutionary new fiscal reform proposed by Calonne. When the nobles were told the extent of the debt, they were shocked into rejecting the plan. This negative turn of events signaled to Louis that he had lost the ability to rule as an absolute monarch, and he fell into depression. The French didn't want to be ruled by monarchs anymore, but wanted to become a republic without "tyrannizing" monarchs that they thought spend all their tax money and wanted equality, and also no more nobility with all their benefits. The revolutionists captured King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, held them prisoners and eventually had them beheaded by a guillotine.

Answer 3

Louis used the taxes he got to spend on himself. It was not for the benefit of the people. He imposed high taxes and used it to build the palace of Versailles which eventually he regretted. People hated him so much that they rejoiced of his death.

Answer 4

He didn't.

The French Revolution began while Louis XVI was the King, not Louis XIV.

It can be said however that such expenditures as Saint Cyr, the Palace of Versailles, Hotel des Invalides, the street lights of Paris, his patronage of the arts, the Franco Dutch War, the War of the League of Augsburg, the War of the Spanish Succession, the War of Devolution and the War of the Reunions had sorely taxed the Nation and created the debt in the first place.

Louis XV did very little in the 58 years he was on the throne to rein in the defecit. He had the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War with Great Britain and he did issue the Edict of Marly in 1749 which briefly provided some new revenues.

The National Debt had become a major crisis. By calling up the Estates General Louis XVI provided a sanctioned forum that evolved into a National Assembly formed by the Third Estate. Much of the debt was inherited by Louis XVI but he was an absolute monarch and had contributed to the financial woes.

Answer 5

In general, the third estate was fed up with the first and second always winning votes (2 : 1) and not having to pay taxes and other fees.

Answer 6

he was a weak minded leader who was controlled by his wife