Medieval and modern times : an introduction to the history of western Europe form the dissolution of the Roman empire to the present time . rward their destruc-tion not many years after his retirement. Necker, who after a brief interval succeeded Turgot, con- Neckersuc-tributed to the progress of the coming revolution in two ways. ^^^ ^ ^^^°He borrowed vast sums of money in order to carry on the war 1 See Turgots letter to the king, August, 1774, in Readings in EuropeanHistory, Vol. II, pp. 386 ff. 2 Turgot succeeded in inducing the king to abolish the guilds and the forcedlabor on the roads,
Medieval and modern times : an introduction to the history of western Europe form the dissolution of the Roman empire to the present time . rward their destruc-tion not many years after his retirement. Necker, who after a brief interval succeeded Turgot, con- Neckersuc-tributed to the progress of the coming revolution in two ways. ^^^ ^ ^^^°He borrowed vast sums of money in order to carry on the war 1 See Turgots letter to the king, August, 1774, in Readings in EuropeanHistory, Vol. II, pp. 386 ff. 2 Turgot succeeded in inducing the king to abolish the guilds and the forcedlabor on the roads, but the decrees were revoked after Turgots dismissal. 490 Medieval and Modem Times Neckersfinancialreport which France, as the ally of the United States, had undertakenagainst England. This greatly embarrassed the treasury laterand helped to produce the financial crisis which was the imme-diate cause of the Revolution. Secondly, he gave the nation itsfirst opportunity of learning what was done with the publicfunds, by presenting to the king (February, 1781) a report onthe financial condition of the kingdom; this was publicly printed. Fig. 134. Turcot Calonne,controllergeneral,1783-1787 and eagerly read. There the people could see for the first timehow much the taille and the salt tax actually took from them,and how much the king spent on himself and his favorites. Necker was soon followed by Calonne, who may be said tohave precipitated the French Revolution. He was very popularat first with king and courtiers, for he spent the public funds farmore recklessly than his predecessors. But, naturally, he soonfound himself in a position where he could obtain no moremoney. The parlements would consent to no more loans in a The Eve of the French Revolution 491 period of peace, and the taxes were as high as it was deemed Calonnepossible to make them. At last Calonne, finding himself des- king™ atperately put to it, informed the astonished king that the State ^g^^^ ^ °was on the verg
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