Vocabulary
deficit: debt
bankers of the Third Estate. On the surface, the economy appeared to be sound,
because both production and trade were expanding rapidly. However, the heavy
burden of taxes made it almost impossible to conduct business profitably within
France. Further, the cost of living was rising sharply. In addition, bad weather in
the 1780s caused widespread crop failures, resulting in a severe shortage of grain.
The price of bread doubled in 1789, and many people faced starvation.
During the 1770s and 1780s, France’s government sank deeply into debt. Part of
the problem was the extravagant spending of
Louis XVI and his queen, Marie
Antoinette. Louis also inherited a considerable debt from previous kings. And he
borrowed heavily in order to help the American revolutionaries in their war against
Great Britain, France’s chief rival. This nearly doubled the government’s debt. In
1786, when bankers refused to lend the government any more money, Louis faced
serious problems.
A Weak Leader Strong leadership might have solved these and other problems.
Louis XVI, however, was indecisive and allowed matters to drift. He paid little atten-
tion to his government advisers, and had little patience for the details of governing.
The queen only added to Louis’s problems. She often interfered in the government,
and frequently offered Louis poor advice. Further, since she was a member of the
royal family of Austria, France’s long-time enemy, Marie Antoinette had been unpop-
ular from the moment she set foot in France. Her behavior only made the situation
worse. As queen, she spent so much money on gowns, jewels, gambling, and gifts
that she became known as “Madame Deficit.”
Rather than cutting expenses, Louis put off dealing with the emergency until he
practically had no money left. His solution was to impose taxes on the nobility.
However, the Second Estate forced him to call a meeting of the
Estates-General—
an assembly of representatives from all three estates—to approve this new tax. The
meeting, the first in 175 years, was held on May 5, 1789, at Versailles.
The French Revolution and Napoleon 653
Louis XVI
1754–1793
Louis XVI’s tutors made little effort to
prepare him for his role as king—and it
showed. He was easily bored with
affairs of state, and much preferred to
spend his time in physical activities,
particularly hunting. He also loved to
work with his hands, and was skilled in
several trades, including lock-making,
metalworking, and bricklaying.
Despite these shortcomings, Louis
was well intentioned and sincerely wanted to improve the
lives of the common people. However, he lacked the
ability to make decisions and the determination to see
policies through. When he did take action, it often was
based on poor advice from ill-informed members of his
court. As one politician of the time noted, “His reign
was a succession of feeble attempts at doing good,
shows of weakness, and clear evidence of his inadequacy
as a leader.”
Marie Antoinette
1755–1793
Marie Antoinette was a pretty,
lighthearted, charming woman.
However, she was unpopular with the
French because of her spending and
her involvement in controversial court
affairs. She referred to Louis as “the
poor man” and sometimes set the
clock forward an hour to be rid of
his presence.
Marie Antoinette refused to wear
the tight-fitting clothing styles of the day and introduced a
loose cotton dress for women. The elderly, who viewed the
dress as an undergarment, thought that her clothing was
scandalous. The French silk industry was equally angry.
In constant need of entertainment, Marie Antoinette often
spent hours playing cards. One year she lost the equivalent of
$1.5 million by gambling in card games.
RESEARCH LINKS For more on Louis XVI and Marie
Antoinette, go to
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