King Louis XVI

France was in the hands of absolute monarchy meaning that the king Louis the 16th had absolute powers. King Louis thought he was chosen by god so he didn’t doubt his skill. However, King Louis XVI was indecisive and was a weak king. He used to spend his wealth in order to maintain an extravagant lifestyle and wasn’t concerned about his citizens and the way the country was run. Due to King Louise’s negligence the aristocrats tried to take advantage by gaining power. He used to spend money on things which were irrelevant instead of trying to solve the problems arising due to taxation system for example he built Versailles. France used to also engaged in wars. In order to support the army and buy weapons for the war, he increased the taxes which put more burdens on the third estate.

French Tax System Before Revolution

Famine occurred in Paris as they couldn’t afford a basic staple diet since they had to pay the taxes because Louis XVI could not persuade the 1st and the 2nd estate to pay taxes and share the burden. Due to the famine; hungry people travelled from Paris to Versailles to tell the King their problems. King Louis had to move back to Paris from Versailles where he was like a prisoner for almost 3 years.