French Revolution Trotsky should have been the head of the communist state. He was defeated and they threw him out and put Stalin in his position. What do you need to have a revolution? A miserable or oppressed population (wrong) People who have some amount of power (a power base to oppose the government). RIGHT Depression, Government incompetence, outside intervention France (late 18th Century) Became the wealthiest country in the World it passed up China. Highly educated people. Became the leader in Europe in literature, art, French scientists ruled. 25,000-word vocabulary roughly twice of what the Americans has. Incredibly inefficient Government. o Nothing could happen unless the king signed off on it. OLD REGIME (Government before the French Revolution)
Ancien Regime Louis 14th could appoint good communist Louis 16th would not consider putting someone else in the position of the good communist. TAX FARMING- Government gives you a limit of what you must have if you don’t have it you have to make up the difference. If you raise more you get to keep it. When king needs money he has to go to the Tax farmers to borrow the money and pay interest. Due to Tax Farming they ran out of money and because special interest groups managed to carve out special positions. Aristocracy
King could not touch the churches or the aristocrats. All the taxes fell on the communists. o Aristocracy controlled high offices. You could not be an officer in a Navy unless you had 4 generations and was an aristocrat. o Church out of 89 of them 88 were Aristocrats. o Feudal Dues- payment that peasants had to make to feudal lords, even when no longer serfs. What is it that the common people want and need once they have their necessities? STATUS The Government goes bankrupt. Don’t go to war in America. The weapons we used were French weapons that were smuggled to us. They then ran out of money and the King