Beginning in 1789 and ending in the late 1790s, the French revolution was an uprooting of centuries old institutions such as absolute monarchy and the feudal system. Although the French revolution can be attributed to a myriad of causes, they weigh heavily on the failure of Louis XVI to effectively manage France’s finances and institute necessary reforms. This failure, in turn attributed heavily towards many wars, famine and depression in France. As a result, the people of France inevitably unseated their King and claimed the county for themselves in the name of liberty.
The starting point of French Revolution can be dated back to what's known as the ‘flour war’ of 1775 - which is widely regarded as the last of the ‘great spontaneous food …show more content…
Turgot, inspired by the ideologies of the American revolution had sought out to reform France through rational policies and had presented these ideas to the king, which garnered his support. However, the lower class peasants could not afford these new inflated prices and as a result reacted with great hostility as they saw these reforms as the government’s attempt to starve them. The middle and upper classes also showed hostility, as they previously had benefited greatly with the old reforms and were concerned that these new reforms would threaten their livelihoods. The reforms were quickly repealed, culminating in Turgot’s resignation. “The flour war illustrates the tightly tangled web that France was. Reform was needed, but changing the intricate and interconnected customs of the social, economic, and political spheres was no easy task. Despite his intentions to improve conditions, Louis XVI would prove neither confident enough nor decisive enough to implement change” . The Flour War was one of several crises that would happen during the reign of Louis XVI, causing a great deal of financial problems. It was these financial issues that would expose the fault lines in French society and ultimately threaten the Old Regime and the rule of Louis
The starting point of French Revolution can be dated back to what's known as the ‘flour war’ of 1775 - which is widely regarded as the last of the ‘great spontaneous food …show more content…
Turgot, inspired by the ideologies of the American revolution had sought out to reform France through rational policies and had presented these ideas to the king, which garnered his support. However, the lower class peasants could not afford these new inflated prices and as a result reacted with great hostility as they saw these reforms as the government’s attempt to starve them. The middle and upper classes also showed hostility, as they previously had benefited greatly with the old reforms and were concerned that these new reforms would threaten their livelihoods. The reforms were quickly repealed, culminating in Turgot’s resignation. “The flour war illustrates the tightly tangled web that France was. Reform was needed, but changing the intricate and interconnected customs of the social, economic, and political spheres was no easy task. Despite his intentions to improve conditions, Louis XVI would prove neither confident enough nor decisive enough to implement change” . The Flour War was one of several crises that would happen during the reign of Louis XVI, causing a great deal of financial problems. It was these financial issues that would expose the fault lines in French society and ultimately threaten the Old Regime and the rule of Louis