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Louis XVI

Louis XVI When Louis XVI became King of France in 1774, he was only 20 years old. As the years passed, he learned how to rule better. Then he began to make changes. He abolished the age old practice of feudalism. The calling of the Estates-General was another change in the French government which he introduced. When the monarchy was abolished, he saw it as something that would help his country. All of Louis actions were attempts to achieve one goal. Louis XVI tried to please the French people and prevent the French Revolution. For many centuries, a feudal system had been in use in France. The peasants and serfs were at the bottom of this system. They made up 75% of the population. The National Assembly (formerly the Estates-General) voted to abolish feudalism in 1789. The National Assembly declared their law "entirely abolishes the feudal system". Earlier, Louis XVI had set the precedent for this event. In 1779, he abolished feudalism on his Crown lands. He also allowed serfs to pass on their land to anyone they chose to. Previously, the land had to be passed on to their children. Abolition of feudalism gave the peasants in France more freedom. The actions of Louis XVI and the National Assembly were done to please the majority of the French people: the peasants and serfs. Having the ideas of the French people in the French government would make the government closer to the people. A system with representatives from all the provinces of France would accomplish that deed. Louis XVI achieved this by calling the Estates-General into the government in May 1789. This was a group of peers and deputies from towns and provinces across France. They had not been used in the government since 1614. They were originally put on an equal level with the King. The King had to approve all the laws that were to be passed. The commoners had one of the three votes in the Estates-General, so they had their say. Laws were passed by the Estates-General and National Assembly, including removing the nobles rights over the serfs and peasants. Another law reduced the power of the church by not allowing the church to own farming land. The National Assembly was the name they used when the third estate broke away and gave themselves power, but that is a different story. By giving the Estates-General power, Louis XVI got the peopleÕs ideas into the French government. One of the wants of the insurgents in France was the removal of the monarchy altogether. To satisfy the wants of the revolutionaries, Louis XVI stepped down from the throne. He actually did this because of a measure taken by the National Assembly on August 10, 1792, which abolished the monarchy. Louis declared, "let us (him, his family, and cabinet) go and make this last sacrifice to the Nation." Yet Louis still had to make one last sacrifice to his country. The National Assembly voted by a one vote margin to put Louis XVI to death. Immediately before his death, he spoke to the people saying, "I hope that the shedding of my blood will contribute to the happiness of France and you . . ." Then his head was cut off in a guillotine. What Louis XVI said at the time of the end of the monarchy and his death shows he was in favor of improving France and satisfying the Louis XVI's job as the King during and before the French Revolution was not an easy one. With a betraying wife and bad ministers, Louis still managed to make the best of a bad situation. The calling of the Estates-General was a major change for the better. The abolition of feudalism was also a much needed alteration. Then came the fall of the monarchy and eventually the death of the Louis. It turned out that more than the ideas of Louis would've been necessary to stop the bloodshed of the French Revolution. Still, Louis XVI's deeds were ones of good intention for France, all in hopes no blood would be Bibliography:

Word Count: 682