HISTORY 5 Lecture 12: 10/6 The French Revolution
Document Summary
Ancien regime refers to whole sociopolitical complex. Politically hierarchical, socially rigid (divided into diff estates) Enlightenment, new media, etc; but gradual change wouldn"t end the ancien regime. Afterwards, nothing would be the same; origin of many of our global modern understanding of politics/soc. Unfolding, neverending process of remaking society thru reason. Financial crisis - by late 1770s, fr state completely broke. Expensive global wars against english for ~25yrs by louis xv"s death 1774. Early years of louis xvi"s reign saw fr involvement w/ am against br; successful for am, but bankrupted france. 1770-1780, fr govt hemorrhages $ - keeps trying to hire new financial ministers. Most famous, jacques necker, oversaw fr involvement in am rev, after which they owed hecka debt. Only option was to raise taxes, but necker refused (said it"d make fr look weak) Necker lied - projected img of strength by publishing report to the king 1781, declaring that fr finances were copacetic.
