La Fayette was a French aristocrat and military officer in the American Revolutionary War in 1777. He became very attached to America. He returned to France from the American war, his heart welling with patriotism.1 In his home, he mounted the American Bill of Rights. Next to it was an empty mount where he hoped there would soon be a French equivalent. He spread his new-found patriotism with the French people. However, …show more content…
This was nearly five times the normal amount allowed for the naval peacetime’s navy, even after Louis the XIV’s new reform. Jacques Necker, a French statesman and finance minister who worked under Louis XVI, made the crucial mistake of paying for the war by mostly loans rather than taxes. Calonne, Necker’s successor in 1783, began his own destructive policy – “…he pursued a policy of systematic borrowing to cover the needs of the Treasury.”
Due to the immense amounts of debt that had amassed from * - *, the government had little to no choice but to increase taxes exponentially. Part of the reason that the budget was out of proportion was that the king could use whatever money he needed. The interest on the debt amounted to 51% of the annual income in 1788. However, “…the rolls of… taxes, were distributed among districts, parishes, and individuals, at the pleasure of the intendant, who could exempt, change, add, or diminish, at pleasure.” This meant that those fortunate enough to be in the upper classes of government needn’t worry about being taxed to death, unlike the peasants and working class. For them, a tiny proportion was devoted to welfare and