Exercises on the Fall of the Bastille

The new forces knew very precisely what they wanted. Turgot, the physiocratic economist, fought for an efficient exploitation of the land, for free trade and enterprise, for an efficient and standardized administration of a single homogeneous national territory, for the abolition of all restrictions and social inequalities that impeded the development of national resources. and by rational and impartial administration and taxation. Still, his attempt to implement this program as prime minister in the period 1774-1776 failed miserably, and failure is characteristic.

HOBSBAWM, Eric. The Age of Revolutions. Rio de Janeiro:Peace and Earth, 2014, p.101.

The text refers to some attempts to reform the economy proposed by Turgot which, however, according to the author, failed. Knowing the context of French society in the 1770s-1780s, the failure of Turgot's reforms showed:

a) the backwardness and technical ignorance that characterized Turgot and other French intellectuals of the time.

b) the refusal of the French aristocracy to carry out any type of reform that would harm their privileges.

c) external interests, especially Spanish ones, in keeping France in a backward economic model.

d) the reluctance of French peasants to approve economic changes in the country, fearing that what happened in England would be repeated in France.

e) the desires of the French nobility to stagnate the country, aiming to depose Louis XVI from the throne so that Napoleon Bonaparte could ascend.

With the severe economic crisis that hit France in the 1780s, it was suggested to King Louis XVI to convene the assembly of the Estates General (which had not happened since 1614). The convocation of the Estates General was a measure aimed at:

a) discuss profound reforms in French society that would initiate a major modernization of the country.

b) discuss possibilities of intensifying economic exploitation of Haiti and the North American colonies to contain the hole in the economy.

c) debate reforms and changes in the economy, without the need to withdraw the privileges of the French aristocracy.

d) propose an economic alliance with the British that would benefit the French economy.

e) discuss only actions aimed at suppressing popular uprisings in Paris without worrying about the economic issue.

The emptying of the coffers and the French indebtedness resulted in a severe economic crisis, which contributed to the worsening of the situation of the people. High prices, lack of food and rising unemployment drove thousands of people to despair, which caused popular dissatisfaction and was one of the reasons for the beginning of the revolution. French indebtedness was related to the country's participation in two conflicts in the second half of the 18th century. These conflicts were:

a) Thirty Years' War and Franco-Prussian War

b) Seven Years' War and Crimean War

c) Seven Years' War and American Revolution

d) American Revolution and Thirty Years' War

e) Crimean War and Franco-Prussian War

Popular dissatisfaction provoked numerous uprisings in the city of Paris in 1789. These uprisings coincided with the political conflict that led to the creation of the National Constituent Assembly by representatives of the Third Estate. The possibility of repression against the newly created assembly led the Parisian population to arms. This resulted in an event that marked the beginning and spread of the revolution throughout France. We're talking:

a) of the execution of Louis XVI.

b) the popular attack on the Tuileries Palace.

c) the formation of the National Guard.

d) of the storming of the Bastille.

e) of the Great Fear.

Letter B

The failure of the reforms proposed by Turgot evidenced the refusal of the French aristocracy to carry out any kind of economic reform that would harm their privileges. This same aristocracy, in this period, even increased the feudal taxes they charged from peasants in order to maintain their luxurious lifestyle. The power of the aristocracy caused different reform proposals to fail in France, and this ended up increasing popular dissatisfaction.

Letter C

The convocation of the Estates General had been proposed to King Louis XVI after the Assembly of Notables in 1787. The aristocracy's intention was to debate solutions for the French economy that did not harm its privileges. The idea of ​​the French nobility in the Estates General was to ally with the members of the clergy and stop any attempt at reforms that went against the established society of privileges. The convocation of the Estates General, however, was the trigger for the beginning of the revolutionary process.

Letter C

The emptying of coffers and French indebtedness were a consequence of France's participation in two conflicts against England:the Seven Years' War, fought between 1756 and 1763 and the American Revolution, in period 1776-1781. The indebtedness of France, after these conflicts, was so great that, during the decade of the war of 1780, half of the French budget was used for the payment of the contracted debts.

Letter D

The event that marked the beginning of the French Revolution was the popular attack that resulted in the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. This episode was seen as a milestone at the time, as the Bastille was a prison symbol of the oppression of the Ancien Régime. After its fall, revolutionary fervor spread to the rest of France and led the population of other cities and the countryside to rebel against the French aristocracy and the Old Regime.