The French Revolution: Struggle for Change

The French Revolution began because France’s old system was breaking down and could no longer handle its

debt, unfair taxes, or political disagreements. The king relied on the parlements,

which were royal courts made up mostly of nobles, to approve new laws. Instead of helping,

the parlements blocked most reform attempts, especially new taxes on the rich. Meanwhile,

government ministers like Necker and de Calonne tried to fix France’s financial crisis,

but the country spent far more than it earned. Wars, bad harvests,

and rising food prices made everything worse. Poor people paid heavy taxes like

the gabelle, a tax on salt, and had to do unpaid road work called the corvée,