.
a)The system of the Ancient Regime.
b)The influence of the Philosophers.
c)The influence of the American Revolution.
d)The Financial crisis.
e)The Character of LouisXVI.
f)Poor harvests of 1787-1789.
The regime itself was one of the major causes of the French Revolution. It was characterized by the absolutism of the monarchy, the confused nature of the Judiciary system,and the unfair system of privileges.
With the exception of England and the Netherlands, the rise of national state in most of the European countries in the early modern Age went hand in hand with the consolidation of royal absolutism. It was generally accepted that the king ruled not by permission of the people, but by divine right, and all the power of government rested in the king himself. This development of royal absolutism reached its zenith in the last
half of the seventeenth century under Louis XIV. Under Louis XIV’s successors, absolutism, however, degenerated internally into a form of tyranny, and externally into weakness and loss of prestige. No effective leadership could be exercised. The state
machinery they had inherited called for competent monarchs, but the successors were incompetent and failed to use the power enshrined in their office. Although the king theoretically exercised absolute authority, in practice, he had to rely on officials acting in his name. Even Louis XIV, the best example of an absolute king,
could therefore not supervise the whole of his state administration on his own. Under his slack successor, Louis XV(1715-1774),the government of France was, infact, in the
hands of a royal council, known as the conseilduroi. The central government had thirty intendants as provincial agents. As local representatives of the king, their authority was practically absolute, particularly in the provinces closest to Paris, which
had no local representative assemblies. In the remote provinces, local representative assemblies controlled by the nobility had a measure of authority. The administration of government already displays the seeds of revolution, namely arbitrariness and confusion. In arrogant fashion, the pleasure of the King or his
privileged officials was the decisive factor, rather than the spirit, or even the letter of the law. Government machinery was so unwieldy and complicated that the confusion and
delays were the order of the day.
Administrative confusion in the Ancient regime was perhaps most noticeable in the administration of justice. Royal, feudal, municipal and ecclesiastical courts dispensed justice alongside each other. This confusion was exacerbated by the absence of a
uniform code of law. There were, infact, on the eve of the revolution, more than 300 codes in force. Many justice officials were extremely inept and corrupt. It is therefore,
not surprising that administration of justice was a confusing, expensive and time consuming process.
To continue Reading, Download A Level European History Study Pack Turn Up College pdf here: https://eduzim.co.zw/downloadables/product/a-level-european-history-study-pack-turn-up-college/
By: T.Titus Nyakudyara
Twitter: @NyakudyaraTitus
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