Assembly of Notables (1787)
The French assembly of notables ( French Assemblées des notables ) of 1787 was an attempt to avert state bankruptcy through tax reforms with the help of an assembly of selected high-ranking representatives ( notables ). Unexpectedly, the government met with resistance and nothing changed in the basic problems of the state. Therefore, the Estates General were finally convened for 1789 . The meeting of 1787 was thus one of the milestones on the way to the French Revolution .
prehistory
The French state was heavily indebted for various reasons. Further bonds on the capital market could hardly be accommodated. In 1783 Louis XVI appointed Charles Alexandre de Calonne as General Controller of Finance, that is to say, Minister of Finance. He freed foreign and domestic trade from restrictions, which led to an economic boom. He continued to counter the state's financial crisis with bonds. On the other hand, there was criticism primarily from one of his predecessors in office, namely Jacques Necker . In 1786 the state budget seemed hopeless. The expenses were considerably higher than the income and the debt service was enormous. In order to prevent national bankruptcy, Calonne proposed measures to the king that had already been called for many times in the past. It was about increasing the income. All subjects should be taxed only on their income, regardless of privileges and nobility.
For the government, the resistance of the parliaments was to be foreseen. So she sought a special legitimation of her measures. One possibility was to convene the Estates General. But this step seemed too dangerous to Calonne. He therefore decided to hold a meeting of notables. Such a body was last held at the level of the Kingdom of Richelieu in 1626.
The notables were chosen by the king and called together to present certain problems for discussion. This selection process seemed to guarantee a smooth process in the interests of the government.
The meeting was announced by the king in December 1786. This was seen in parts of the public as a decisive political turning point for the Ancien Régime . The Marquis de Segur pointed this after the convocation with the sentence: "The king has just abdicated." The meeting was postponed several times. Calonne's opponents used this time to criticize the government. After the initial enthusiasm of the public, distrust increased. There were satirical prints in circulation in which a monkey who was supposed to represent Calonne declared in front of a flock of geese (as the notables): “Dear guests, I asked you here to discuss with you what sauce you would be served. "
composition
The assembly consisted of 144 representatives. The assembly was divided into seven parts that met separately, called bureaux . These were directed by the royal princes. In addition to the Count of Provence and the Count of Artois , the king's brothers, these were the Dukes of Bourbon , Orleans , Conti , Penthievre and Condé . In the order of precedence below were seven leading archbishops, seven dukes, eight marshals of France , six marquis, nine counts, a baron, seven bishops, a number of presidents of parliament, intendants and other high officials and finally 25 mayors and city councilors. According to Walter Demel, all ministers and 15 councilors were among those present, the (old) nobility was represented by 45 people. There were also 13 high clergymen, 44 representatives from the highest courts, 23 representatives from the Pays D'Etat and 24 large cities with 34 representatives.
course
The meeting of notables met for the first time on February 22, 1787 in the Palace of Versailles in the room of the Menus-Plaisir. Contrary to what had been hoped, the notables did not prove to be compliant. This was true even of the heads of the congregation. Of the princes, only Artois supported the government program without reservation. The Count of Provence and the Dukes of Orleans and Conti viewed this critically.
The king opened the meeting with a speech in which he emphasized the principle of a fair distribution of taxes. Calonne explained the project in a keynote address. The new general property tax should bring more tax equity than the previous complicated system of direct taxes. There should also be political consultations in the future. Assemblies should be elected to set and administer taxes up to the provincial level. In addition, there should be the end of compulsory labor for the state. These should be able to be replaced by the farmers. A uniform nationwide customs should make the smuggling nuisance superfluous. The measures also included a reduction in the particularly hated salt tax . Calonne ends with the saying: “Some may remember the maxim of our monarchy: As the king wants, the law wants it. His Majesty's new maxim is: As the people's happiness dictates, the king wishes it. "
The regional representative body proposal was accepted. The tax plans, however, were rejected. The assembly also rejected all future taxes unless the king could prove their usefulness by examining the state finances.
There are different accounts of the course of the negotiations in historiography. According to one reading, the notables refused to renounce the tax exemption of the nobility and other privileged people. They also rejected further reform proposals from the government. Calonne criticized this behavior and turned to the public. Pressure from the nobility, especially Queen Marie Antoinette , succeeded in persuading the king to dismiss Calonne on April 9, 1787.
Thamer also speaks of the fact that the notables were not ready to approve the government's program despite the state of emergency. One reason was that they saw their status threatened by both the state and the rising bourgeoisie and the anti-feudal mood among the peasants. In order to secure their position vis-à-vis the state, the notables demanded the involvement of parliaments or the convening of the Estates General. This demand was extremely popular and developed a momentum of its own. The self-governing bodies actually set up after the 1787 assembly became schools for the future revolutionaries. Calonne then fell victim to the fighting at court.
Simon Schama occupies a minority position . According to this, the notables, with a certain criticism in detail, basically recognized the principle of tax equality. Some bureaux even went beyond the government proposals. Contrary to expectations, there was largely no protest against the attack on the privileges that had been inherited. After Shama, the proposals of provincial assemblies also met with broad approval and there was even a call for the Estates General. In order to make the reform process a success, it seemed to the notables that Calonne, discredited by scandals and fraud affairs, was unsuitable as minister. It was only against this background that Calonne turned to the public and in turn attacked the privileged. When the king learned that the deficit was not 80 but 112 million livres, he was disappointed that Calonne had not told him the truth. The queen was then also involved in the fall of Calonne.
consequences
Calonne's successor was Bishop Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne . At first he tried to solve the financial crisis in the traditional way, but was eventually forced to introduce new taxes, which led to a conflict with the parliaments (“pre-revolution”). Another meeting of notables in 1788 had no tangible result. Ultimately, the failure of the notable assemblies meant that the king was forced to convene the Estates General.
Individual evidence
- ^ Eberhard Weiss: France from 1661 to 1789 . In: Handbuch der Europäische Geschichte , Vol. 4; Stuttgart 1976; P. 251
- ↑ Simon Schama: The hesitating citizen. Step backwards and progress in the French Revolution . Munich 1989; P. 243
- ↑ Simon Schama: The hesitating citizen. Step backwards and progress in the French Revolution . Munich 1989; P. 244
- ↑ Simon Schama: The hesitating citizen. Step backwards and progress in the French Revolution . Munich 1989; P. 244f.
- ^ Walter Demel: From the notables of 1787/88 to the major notables of the citizenry . In: Europe in Transition 1750–1850 . Göttingen 1995; P. 142
- ↑ Simon Schama: The hesitating citizen. Step backwards and progress in the French Revolution . Munich 1989; P. 245 f.
- ↑ Hans-Ulrich Thamer : The French Revolution . Munich, 2004; P. 23
- ↑ Simon Schama: The hesitating citizen. Step backwards and progress in the French Revolution . Munich 1989; P. 246
- ^ Eberhard Weiss: France from 1661 to 1789 . In: Handbuch der Europäische Geschichte , Vol. 4; Stuttgart 1976; P. 251
- ↑ Hans-Ulrich Thamer: The French Revolution . Munich, 2004; P. 24
- ↑ Simon Schama: The hesitating citizen. Step backwards and progress in the French Revolution . Munich 1989; Pp. 248-250