Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/570

43 o General History of Europe 747. Calonne predicts Bankruptcy (me). Necker was soon followed by Calonne, who may be said to have precipitated the French Revolution. He was very popular at first with king and courtiers, for he spent the public funds far more recklessly than his predecessors. But, naturally, he soon found himself in a posi- tion where he could obtain no more money. At last Calonne, finding himself desperately put to it, informed the astonished king that the State was on the verge of bankruptcy, and that in order to save it a radical reformation of the whole public order was necessary. This report of Calonne's may be taken as the beginning of the French Revolution, for it was the first of the series of events that led to the calling of a representative assembly which abolished the old - regime and gave France a written constitution. QUESTIONS I. How should the French Revolution be distinguished from the Reign of Terror? What is the meaning of "old regime"? Why was France so poorly organized in the eighteenth century? Give some ex- amples of the differences which existed between the various provinces. Who were the privileged classes, and what were their privileges ? Give examples of the feudal dues. In what respects was the French peasant more happily situated than his fellows in other parts of Europe? What were the chief powers of the French monarch ? What were "sealed letters"? What did the parlements do to forward the coming revolution? What is meant by public opinion, and what chances does it have to express itself today that it did not have in France before the Revolution? II. Who was Louis XVI? Tell something of his wife. Why did Turgot fail to remedy any of the abuses? What happened under Necker to forward the Revolution? Why was Calonne forced to admit that he could not carry on the government unless reforms were introduced ?