King Louis Xvi's Decisions Before The French Revolution

Before the French Revolution, the King and nobles had absolute control over the peasants and working class. The peasants were asked to pay multiple high taxes that most of them could not afford. A majority of the nobility would collect numerous fees and taxes from the lands they owned in addition to the crown’s taxes and a tithe from the Church (Beecher, Jonathan, Larson, Gleason 4-5, 2). Due to the financial difficulty, peasants were often pushed to work more, leaving them virtually no time to themselves (Beecher, Jonathan, Larson, Gleason 2). However, during King Louis XVI’s reign, opportunities for the lower class to truly retaliate against the monarchy arose. One of these retaliations was the formation of the revolutionary National Assembly, a constituent assembly, and the oath that they took. The National Assembly was formed
Louis realized this represented a possible shift in power, and the King wanted to eradicate any ideas of revolution. The National Assembly was revolutionary as they significantly impacted the social and political structure of France. Shortly after the formation of the National Assembly, the Third Estate was locked out of an Estates-General meeting in Versailles on June 20th, 1789. They were outraged at this hostile gesture and signed a pledge declaring that they were to have their own meetings in the future and that they were to stay together until a new constitution was written. This pledge was called the Tennis Court Oath because the National Assembly met at an old tennis court (Llewellyn and Thompson). The oath was an act of rebellion against the King that made their dissatisfaction with the monarchy clear. The National Assembly was revolutionary because the creation of the Tennis Court Oath and the uprisings they caused, as well as the aftereffects, considerably changed both the French government and social