How can you say that Louis XVI was a despotic ruler? [Please answer in a paragraph, not in a single line]
Answers
1. French society was divided into 3 estates by Louis XVI.
2. Taxes were increased by 10%.
3. Taxes were only paid by 3rd estate.
4. Most of the land were given to church,nobles and clergy.
5. 3rd estate were treated as inferior and 1st & 2nd estate were treated as superior.
I hope this will help you in your studies.
Answer:Louis XVI ascended the throne of France in the year 1774. He became the emperor of France at the time when the treasury of France was empty. The long years of conflict had exhausted the economic reserves of France. Combined to this was the expense of keeping an invaluable bench at the enormous castle of Versailles. Moreover, the support of France to the thirteen colonies of America in their war of independence burdened the economy of France with a debt of around 2 billion livres.
The king in order to keep the army, meet the regular expenses of the administration introduced new taxes. The third estate in the social hierarchy of French society was overtaxed by the monarchy as the first two estates were exempted from paying taxes.