6. Jacques Necker- became the new director general of finances and produced a report to the French public that said the financial situation was not so bad and was not to be feared. In his report he suggested that a large portion of Royal expenditures went to pensions for aristocrats. This Necker to soon leave office. His actions made it difficult for government officials to claim a need to raise taxes…
Louis realised the amount of debt France had was spiralling out of control. Louis as a result sold tens of thousands of official juridical and administrative post. This shows how dire the situation…
France encouraged overseas colonies and regulated trade with the colonies to enrich the royal treasury. Colbert drastically improved economy; he had new lands cleared for farming, encouraged mining and other basic industries, and built up luxury trades such as lace making. He also helped French manufacturers by putting high tariffs on imported goods. Strong leadership was important. Louis XIV wanted to strengthen the state, so he expanded the bureaucracy and appointed intendants. Intendants were people who collected taxes, recruited soldiers, and carried out the king's policies in the provinces. This kept the country organized and developed an army. The…
Louis XIV strove vigorously for supremacy in foreign affairs. He was to use his foreign policy to establish a universal monarchy for himself or alternatively to use it to secure natural frontiers for France thus improving its defenses. He worked successfully to create an absolutist and centralized state. During his reign Louis was involved in four major wars, some of which Louis may be accountable as the provocateur; however, I believe that mainly his motives were purely defensive. The war of Devolution served as a pretext which nettled him part of Flanders, although the Dutch then moved against him with the Triple Alliance. Louis was determined to crush Holland and this began the third of the Dutch wars, which depleted his treasury. Louis proved an incredibly extravagant spender, dispensing huge sums of money to finance the royal court. The following ten years the king limited his policies to diplomacy. Louis continued the nobility's exemption from taxes but forced its member into financial dependence to the crown and the provincial nobles also lost political power. Louis does have a genuine concern for his country and despite his dubious methods he does manage to secure the territories that he wishes to secure. He curtailed local authorities and created specialized ministries. Louis's grandson retained the Spanish throne but the war of Spanish Succession left France in great debt and a weakened military. Louis used the bourgeoisie to build his centralized bureaucracy. He illustrated new administrative methods to make him more in control. Louis's general Colbert worked to improve the French economy. Colbert worked to create a favorable balance of trade and increase France's colonial holdings. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing and bringing the economy back from the brink of bankruptcy. He reduced the national debt through more efficient taxation. His principal taxation devices included the aides, the douanes, the…
Once upon a time, long ago in France, lived a king, Louis XIV and his beautiful wife, Marie Antoinette. Louis received a lot of debt from previous kings, and borrowed a great deal of money to help the American Revolution in their war against Great Britain. Louis who wanted to help improve the lives of common people was in a tough situation, when banks refused to lend him more money, and to make matters worse, Marie Antoinette gave Louis poor advice, interfered with the government, and spent excessive money on jewels, gambling and gifts. She was then known as Madame deficit. Not too far away from the King and Queen lived Jacques.…
Louis XIV believed that one king should have power and control over the country of France. To do this he reorganized the army and was exceptionally…
Jean Talon played a big role in the establishment of New France. He came up with the idea of ‘le Filles du roi’, and populated New France. Jean Talon also strengthened and extended the seigneurial system throughout New France.…
Two accounts take different positions on the role of the Book of Hours in the life of Jeanne d'Evreux, Queen to Charles IV of France, in the 14th century. The first, by Madeline Caviness, argues that the patron (or matron, rather) was mainly affected by the illustrations of the book; the other, by Joan Holladay, argues that its content and context influenced the queen more. In this essay, I argue that the latter was more possibly and more convincingly the case.…
Most of the wars fought by France under the reign of Louis XIV were mainly won due to the mammoth army Louis built up. As a result, King Louis XIV accumulated a massive debt, which overburdened the peasantry, causing the majority of the social class to emigrate. The King evoked Jean Baptiste Colbert as minister of finances to relieve France’s deficit. Colbert revived the wool industry and in 1683 France became the leading nation in the world in industrial production. Colbert also introduced mercantilism into France by the idea of selling more goods abroad and buying nothing back. This…
Prior to the revolution, France was going into turmoil due to King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette's spending habits. King…
Recognizing that political power lay in cultural superiority, and assisted by his minister, Colbert (Controller-General of the Finances, 1662-1683), Louis XIV (1643-1715) proposed an all-encompassing cultural program designed to glorify the monarchy in his person. Fueled by state patronage, this cultural initiative channeled the creative forces of French elite culture into academies, luxury goods, industries, technology, engineering projects, and imperial expansion. State control of culture reached unprecedented heights under Louis XIV, the Sun King (le Roi Soleil). As the Sun King's reign passed into its twilight years, some judged the social stability and routine he had…
Louis the XIV was king of France from 1693 to 1715. He was an example of how to rule for many of the political leaders of the 18th century. An absolute ruler is defined by seven traits. Pacify and subjugate nobles, and centralize power around oneself. Another is to make both money and war. Dominate culture, make religion and finally build something worthy of your glory. Two Enlightened despots that took after Louis were Joseph II of Austria and Peter the Great, Czar of Russia. Both rulers had enlightened and despotic characteristics. Yet Joseph was more Enlightened and Peter more despotic. Both characteristics were important to have a strong nation, but as Peter exemplifies having more despotic characteristics helps a ruler maintain power and strengthen the nation, more so then enlightened ones. Joseph II takes full power in 1780 after his mother Maria Theresa dies, instantly he begins to institute many enlightened ideas. Joseph is radical and makes many changes to long withstanding traditions in Austrian society and government. First, he grants religious freedom and cuts off communication between his state clergy and Rome. Though Austria had always been staunchly Catholic, now a person of any religion could practice it freely. This is a very enlightened idea much before its time. Also, it was one of his only major changes which were kept after his reign ended. This was how Joseph II fits under the trait of making religion work for you; he actually tried to make it work for everyone. Another enlightened reform he implemented was a universal law code in which all Austrians have to follow the same rules and suffer the same punishments. He eliminates noble privileges, in matters like taxation, and crimes. This reform angered the nobility and almost put the nation in crisis. But it was one last reform which set off a spark of rebellion. Joseph II outlawed serfdom, he freed millions of peasants. They were free to go wherever, and choose…
Louis’s chief financial minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, used subsidies for domestic industries, tariffs, and policies to attract foreign artisans in order to make France self-sufficient and to boost French exports (mercantilism).…
Compassion fatigue is not a new concept. As long as individuals have needed help, people have come to the rescue. Originally it was identified in social workers, as they see sad, sometimes devastating situations that they must deal with on a daily basis. In 1992, Joinson identified the concept of compassion fatigue in nursing. According to Potter, Deshields, Divanbeigi, Berger, Cipriano, Norris & Olsen, (2010), Joinson identified behaviors that were characteristic of compassion fatigue, including chronic fatigue, irritability, dread going to work, aggravation of physical ailments, and a lack of joy in life. Dr. Charles Figley expanded on the concept and more formally defined compassion fatigue in 1995. Figley explained compassion fatigue as…
* The two characters could be seen as a representation of Senator McCarthy, given the similarities between them, including a deep rooted phobia.…