Calonne

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Pages: 7

Another important character of the Revolution was. Charles-Alexandre de Calonne. Calonne was born in 1734 into the nobility as the son of the First President of the Parlement of Flanders. Although the Parlement strived to protect its privileges against the restrictions placed by the crown, Calonne chose to work with the royal administration. In 1765 he helped Louis XV resolved the Brittany Affair. This lead to future resentment from the nobility which would affect his career. He replaced Necker as the Controller General of Finances in 1783. However, Calonne’s reforms to fix France’s financial crisis failed, and he was publicly blamed for the whole ordeal. He was dismissed from office in 1787 and left France. According to Machiavelli, “[I]f …show more content…
As Queen of France, Marie Antoinette had no official role and no legitimate political power — her main job was to produce a male heir to continue her husband's royal line. However, The King and Queen’s popularity declined after the King’s economic policies failed and Marie Antoinette failed to produce him an heir. She was seen as a grand and extravagant socialite, and rumors were spread about her secret lovers and affairs. The public regarded her as ignorant, adulterous, and undignified. Marie Antoinette did eventually give birth to four children, two of which died at a young age. After the royal family had been imprisoned in Paris, Marie Antoinette used her influence and requested the help of other European rulers and her siblings to flee France. However, their attempt to flee was a failure. On the night of August 10, 1792, revolutionaries attacked the royal palace and “suspended” the King. On September 20, the National Convention declared France a republic, abolishing the monarchy. Louis and Marie Antoinette were no longer King and Queen. Louis XVI was guillotined after being tried and convicted of treason in January of 1793. After having her two children taken away from her, Marie Antoinette was tried, convicted of treason and of sexual abuse of her son, and guillotined on October 16, 1793. Machiavelli wrote that, “Everyone sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are.” Although Marie …show more content…
Later he founded what would become the Cordeliers Club. Danton gained popularity with the Cordeliers and Jacobin Clubs at which he often made his famous speeches. He was credited with being the chief force in the overthrow of King Louis XVI, however, his part in the overthrow remains obscure. For example, Danton was quite outspoken about his opposition of the monarchy and of people like Marquis de Lafayette, yet he never attended or was part of the actual demonstration before the royal palace in June of 1972. Danton boasted about being responsible for the insurrection when he spoke before the Revolutionary Tribunal, when in reality the removal of the King was a result of the efforts of the militants of the city. Nevertheless, Danton went on to become the minister of justice, deputy for Paris to the National Convention, as well as a member of the Committee of Public Safety. Eventually, however, Danton became increasingly opposed to the radical movements and to the Reign of Terror. His continued opposition eventually led to his death at the guillotine in April of 1794. When observing Danton’s skill for exaggeration, deception, and boasting, Machiavelli would praise Danton’s ability to “…appear as [he] may wish to be”. For Machiavelli wrote that, “Never attempt to win by force what can be won by