Louis XIV had bankrupted France with Versailles and wars by the time he died in 1715. They needed a conservative king. They got Louis XV, another child king! He was only 5 years old when he became king of France in 1715. He ruled from 1715 to 1774. He was handsome, not well-educated, or practical. He strangled birds as a child for grins. He was bored . He tried running France for a while but gave it to his main mistress, Madame de Pompadour. Madame de Pompadour was an actress and a middle-class mistress. She was a nice lady, but she didn't know how to run a country. She made Louis XV happy with a big building project which required more money. She involved France in the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748) and 7 Years' War (1756-1763). France lost its navy and Canada (which has always hurt France), which was lost in the French and Indian War (1754-1763) in North America
France is going to be in trouble soon. So you should understand their background. France was a divine right monarchy, which meant the king appointed all officials and did everything. He had all the power because, of course, God meant it that way. France wasn't really united all that well. There were 3 basic classes of people: 1. Nobility–200,000 people who owned 25% of the land (200-300 acres each). 2. Clergy–about 100,000 people who owned 10% of the land. 3. 3rd Estate–everybody else. There were 2 million middle class people who owned 25 % of the land (30-40 acres each) and 21 million lower class people who owned about 40% of the land (6-10 acres each). The taxes were paid by the middle class (mostly) and some by lower class. Not by the nobility and/or clergy. The education was mostly in the middle class, too. The nobles had some but it was boring, so they didn't pay much attention to it. The middle class provided the intellectual basis for the French Revolution.
Philosophes means "popular-izer." They were government critics. They were supposed to take complicated ideas and gear them down so they could be easily understood by the lower classes. They wanted changes–religious privileges, equal taxation, reduce the nobility, civil liberty, constitutional government, etc. (what England has–the law is above the king!).
The 1700's was the Age of Reason. Use reason to better yourself. There was little faith. The Philosophes saw Christianity as a stumbling block to learning. Christianity tended to support kings and nobility. Philosophes were for Deism: There was a god who constructed the universe, wound it up, and let it go, like a giant watchmaker. It did no good to pray cuz God didn't meddle with people anymore. The American forefathers were Deists.
Voltaire (1694-1778) was a French Philosophe. He was thrown in prison for criticism of the government by writing satires. He escaped and went to England and advised the overthrow of the French king. He coined the term, "Enlightened Despot."
Montesquieu (1689-1755) wrote the Spirit of the Loss. He said English government worked on a check and balance system. He was wrong. Actually, England had a prime minister who was in power as long as he can get along with Parliament. England had a constitution and Parliamentary laws. America got French aid in their Revolution so they looked to France for a governmental system. They used Montesquieu's idea of a checks and balances system. But in our country, if no one agrees in the system, nothing happens. America can completely stop.
The Encyclopedists were a group of Philosophes who made up an encyclopedia for people using reason. It criticized the French government and was eventually banned.
Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was the 1st Romantic. He was an intellectual, vagabond, and great to invite to parties to talk to and entertain the guests. He thought emotion would bring about a better life. He was a radical who wanted to tear everything down so something better would arise. He said man was basically good but corrupted. "Man is born free but is everywhere in chains," is one of his many quotables. He coined the phrase, "Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood."
The Old Regime of France had bankrupted the country (after the French Revolution, everything that came before that revolution was called the "Old Regime."). The government wasn't functioning! France helped the Americans in their revolution to annoy England. It continued to bankrupt France cuz most of our ammunition and some troops came from France. But our success gave the French Philosophes determination.
And along came Louis XVI in 1774. He was king of France from 1774 to 1792. He was a nice, simple guy–honest, kind, gentle, religious, well-educated. He was named "Louis the Desired" (France hoped he'd get them out of their mess). He was a slow learner and not curious. He liked mechanical gadgets and locks. He lacked self confidence and changed his opinions very easily. He was definitely not the king France needed. He was the wrong king at the wrong time!
Louis XVI was married to Marie Antoinette, who was the youngest daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria. She was pretty with no education or practicality. She was a spacey broad who was bored with playing queen. She didn't like parties or official functions. She used to go to Paris incognito and watch the people cuz she was afraid she was missing something. People said she was sneaking off to her lovers. She built a cabin by Versailles so she could rough it like the commoners. She tended a flock of sheep because she wanted to be a shepherdess at one point. She spent lots of money and meddled in the government. She sponsored lousy people and got good ones fired.
France needed to stop spending money and to make the nobles and clergy pay taxes. The government couldn't even pay the interest on borrowed money. Louis XVI appointed an advisor but the advisor stepped on the nobles' toes, so he couldn't do much.
The king called the Estates-General (the people) for the last time in the 1500's. Ever since then, they hadn't been called. Each class was supposed to elect educated people to send to the Estates-General that Louis XVI called. They wanted change: trial by jury, freedom of speech and press, etc. Even the nobility and clergy wanted these things. There were rumors that the king was going to send the Estates-General home. This ticked everyone off. There was a big raid July 14, 1789, on the Bastille. It was a fort which had been part of the outer and inner defense wall of Paris and had been converted into a jail and ammunition storage. There were 7 prisoners in it who were supposedly political prisoners. The raiders were going to free them. The guy in charge of the Bastille asked the mob to send in a spokesman to talk to him. The mob did, but the spokesman didn't come out soon enough to please the mob, so they stormed the Bastille. It was a big mess. The fall of the Bastille (July 14) is celebrated as France's Independence Day.