The Story of Mankind [129]
French
finances. The king understood nothing of this ``Compte
Rendu.'' He had just sent troops to America to help the colonists
against their common enemies, the English. This expedition
proved to be unexpectedly expensive and Necker was
asked to find the necessary funds. When instead of producing
revenue, he published more figures and made statistics
and began to use the dreary warning about ``necessary economies''
his days were numbered. In the year 1781 he was
dismissed as an incompetent servant.
After the Professor and the Practical Business Man came
the delightful type of financier who will guarantee everybody
100 per cent. per month on their money if only they will
trust his own infallible system.
He was Charles Alexandre de Calonne, a pushing official,
who had made his career both by his industry and his
complete lack of honesty and scruples. He found the country
heavily indebted, but he was a clever man, willing to oblige
everybody, and he invented a quick remedy. He paid the
old debts by contracting new ones. This method is not new.
The result since time immemorial has been disastrous. In
less than three years more than 800,000,000 francs had been
added to the French debt by this charming Minister of Finance
who never worried and smilingly signed his name to every
demand that was made by His Majesty and by his lovely
Queen, who had learned the habit of spending during the days
of her youth in Vienna.
At last even the Parliament of Paris (a high court of justice
and not a legislative body) although by no means lacking
in loyalty to their sovereign, decided that something must be
done. Calonne wanted to borrow another 80,000,000 francs.
It had been a bad year for the crops and the misery and hunger
in the country districts were terrible. Unless something sensible
were done, France would go bankrupt. The King as always
was unaware of the seriousness of the situation. Would it not
be a good idea to consult the representatives of the people?
Since 1614 no Estates General had been called together. In
view of the threatening panic there was a demand that the
Estates be convened. Louis XVI however, who never could
take a decision, refused to go as far as that.
To pacify the popular clamour he called together a meeting
of the Notables in the year 1787. This merely meant a gathering
of the best families who discussed what could and should
be done, without touching their feudal and clerical privilege
of tax-exemption. It is unreasonable to expect that a certain
class of society shall commit political and economic suicide for
the benefit of another group of fellow-citizens. The 127
Notables obstinately refused to surrender a single one of their
ancient rights. The crowd in the street, being now exceedingly
hungry, demanded that Necker, in whom they had confidence,
be reappointed. The Notables said ``No.'' The crowd
in the street began to smash windows and do other unseemly
things. The Notables fled. Calonne was dismissed.
A new colourless Minister of Finance, the Cardinal
Lomenie de Brienne, was appointed and Louis, driven by the
violent threats of his starving subjects, agreed to call together
the old Estates General as ``soon as practicable.'' This vague
promise of course satisfied no one.
No such severe winter had been experienced for almost a
century. The crops had been either destroyed by floods or had
been frozen to death in the fields. All the olive trees of the
Provence had been killed. Private charity tried to do some-
thing but could accomplish little for eighteen million starving
people. Everywhere bread riots occurred. A generation before
these would have been put down by the army. But the
work of the new philosophical school had begun to bear fruit.
People began to understand that a shotgun is no effective
remedy for a hungry stomach and even the soldiers (who came
from among the people)
finances. The king understood nothing of this ``Compte
Rendu.'' He had just sent troops to America to help the colonists
against their common enemies, the English. This expedition
proved to be unexpectedly expensive and Necker was
asked to find the necessary funds. When instead of producing
revenue, he published more figures and made statistics
and began to use the dreary warning about ``necessary economies''
his days were numbered. In the year 1781 he was
dismissed as an incompetent servant.
After the Professor and the Practical Business Man came
the delightful type of financier who will guarantee everybody
100 per cent. per month on their money if only they will
trust his own infallible system.
He was Charles Alexandre de Calonne, a pushing official,
who had made his career both by his industry and his
complete lack of honesty and scruples. He found the country
heavily indebted, but he was a clever man, willing to oblige
everybody, and he invented a quick remedy. He paid the
old debts by contracting new ones. This method is not new.
The result since time immemorial has been disastrous. In
less than three years more than 800,000,000 francs had been
added to the French debt by this charming Minister of Finance
who never worried and smilingly signed his name to every
demand that was made by His Majesty and by his lovely
Queen, who had learned the habit of spending during the days
of her youth in Vienna.
At last even the Parliament of Paris (a high court of justice
and not a legislative body) although by no means lacking
in loyalty to their sovereign, decided that something must be
done. Calonne wanted to borrow another 80,000,000 francs.
It had been a bad year for the crops and the misery and hunger
in the country districts were terrible. Unless something sensible
were done, France would go bankrupt. The King as always
was unaware of the seriousness of the situation. Would it not
be a good idea to consult the representatives of the people?
Since 1614 no Estates General had been called together. In
view of the threatening panic there was a demand that the
Estates be convened. Louis XVI however, who never could
take a decision, refused to go as far as that.
To pacify the popular clamour he called together a meeting
of the Notables in the year 1787. This merely meant a gathering
of the best families who discussed what could and should
be done, without touching their feudal and clerical privilege
of tax-exemption. It is unreasonable to expect that a certain
class of society shall commit political and economic suicide for
the benefit of another group of fellow-citizens. The 127
Notables obstinately refused to surrender a single one of their
ancient rights. The crowd in the street, being now exceedingly
hungry, demanded that Necker, in whom they had confidence,
be reappointed. The Notables said ``No.'' The crowd
in the street began to smash windows and do other unseemly
things. The Notables fled. Calonne was dismissed.
A new colourless Minister of Finance, the Cardinal
Lomenie de Brienne, was appointed and Louis, driven by the
violent threats of his starving subjects, agreed to call together
the old Estates General as ``soon as practicable.'' This vague
promise of course satisfied no one.
No such severe winter had been experienced for almost a
century. The crops had been either destroyed by floods or had
been frozen to death in the fields. All the olive trees of the
Provence had been killed. Private charity tried to do some-
thing but could accomplish little for eighteen million starving
people. Everywhere bread riots occurred. A generation before
these would have been put down by the army. But the
work of the new philosophical school had begun to bear fruit.
People began to understand that a shotgun is no effective
remedy for a hungry stomach and even the soldiers (who came
from among the people)