French Revolution

Vaughn Patrick Garduque

World History & Culture / Fall 2020 / Period 1/ James Campbell High School / Ewa Beach, Hawaii

Unfair Taxation                                                                                                                              6

Table of Contents

Unfair Taxation

Unfair taxation was an important cause of the french revolution.

The French had 3 types of taxes which were Direct taxes, Indirect taxes, and Fuedal payments.

The taxation on the 3rd estate (The common class) had to pay more than people in the 2nd and 1st estate (Middle and rich class). The 2nd and 1st estate paid a little to none even though they made more income. And that left the 3rd estate felt overburdened of the amount of taxes they had to pay.

How tax was collected

Taxation- the levying of the tax.

Direct taxes- Collected by royal officials

Indirect taxes- collected by the ‘tax-farmers’, 

Fuedal payments- A payment made by the tenant and collected when the lord needed money

This picture shows the 3rd class carrying the burden of the 2nd and 1st class.

Some of the French's debt is mainly from the "7 Years' War" and "The American Revolution". 

Before the war, Louis XV’s government was already 1.2 billion livres in debt. 

After the "7 Years' War" France was left with a debt of 1.3 billion livres from the war.

France's last prerevolutionary war was the American revolution. That war made them into more debt by 1.3 billion livres and they ended up surrendering all of their colonies in North America.

The French Surrendering in the American revolution