HUM 223 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Jacques-Louis David, Charles Alexandre De Calonne, Enlightened Absolutism
8 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Revolutionary Europe
France under Louis XIV
•Louis XVI represented an type of “Enlightened absolutism”
•Governing style—appeal to the public
•Comte rendu au roi of 1881 under Jacques Necker
–First public record of royal accounts
Plan for the Improvement of Finances
•Proposal by Charles Alexandre de Calonne
•Problem—almost half of French revenue was being used to service debt
•Solution—readjust taxation on the nobility (top 5 percent)
•Part 1—direct tax on landholders
•Part 2—Economic stimulation through free trade
•Part 3—Create public confidence to sustain loans
Assembly of Notables
•Purpose was to approve Calonne’s reforms
•Representatives of the elite of French society
•Opposition to the new property tax
•Calonne dismissed for failure to implement plan
Estates General of 1789
•The Estates of France: clergy, nobles, people
•Structure of the Estates General
–Normal procedure—each estate votes separately
–Alternate procedure—estates would vote together
•Stalemate of the Estate General
–Convened on 5 May 1789
–6 weeks later still hadn’t decided how to vote
Jacques Louis David
•Neoclassical artist—embodies the spirit of the French Revolution
•Activity represents the changes of the Revolution
•Ideology represents Rousseau’s imagery of the “Social Contract”
David and the French Revolution
•Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789 transforms Paris
•Louis XVI agrees to reside in Paris rather than Versailles
•Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (4 August 1789)
–Sovereignty of the nation
•Constitution of 1791 established a Constitutional Monarchy
•David’s Louis XVI showing the Constitution to his Son the Dauphin (1792)
•David was serving as the propaganda minister
•Allegory of the French People Offering the Crown and Scepter to the King
•David expressing the principles of the “will of the people” as the basis for royal authority
•Experiment in Constitutional Monarchy ends in 1792
•David is one of the members of the National Assembly to vote for Louis XVI’s execution
–Louis XVI had tried to flee France on 22 June 1791
–French exiles had declared a war to liberate the king in the summer of 1792
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Document Summary
France under louis xiv: louis xvi represented an type of enlightened absolutism , governing style appeal to the public, comte rendu au roi of 1881 under jacques necker. Assembly of notables: purpose was to approve calonne"s reforms, representatives of the elite of french society, opposition to the new property tax, calonne dismissed for failure to implement plan. Estates general of 1789: the estates of france: clergy, nobles, people, structure of the estates general. Alternate procedure estates would vote together: stalemate of the estate general. 6 weeks later still hadn"t decided how to vote. Jacques louis david: neoclassical artist embodies the spirit of the french revolution, activity represents the changes of the revolution, ideology represents rousseau"s imagery of the social contract . David and the french revolution: storming of the bastille on 14 july 1789 transforms paris, louis xvi agrees to reside in paris rather than versailles, declaration of the rights of man and citizen (4 august 1789)
