Absolutism 3

1. Domestic and Foreign Policies of the French minister Richelieu and how he implemented them
Richelieu wanted total subordination of all groups and institutions to the French monarchy. He reshuffled the royal council in 1624 and got rid of powerful nobles. He destroyed castles and crushed aristocratic conspiracies. France was divided into thirty-two généralités (districts) where, after 1634, a royal intendant held a commission to perform specific tasks regarded finance, law, and police. Intendants transferred information from their districts to Paris and vice versa. They were usually recruited from the judicial nobility, the noblesse de robe, and were appointed directly by and responsible to the monarch. They were not natives of their dis-tricts so as to have no interest in that area. They recruited men for the army, supervised tax collection, administered local law, check up on the local nobility, and regulated economic activities. His foreign policy consisted of weakening the Habsburg territories that surrounded France by supporting the Habsburgs’ enemies. These enemies were usually Lutherans who op-posed the Holy Roman Emperor. Richelieu centralized the French language and created an in-stitution for literature.

2. Significance and consequences of the urban protest that occurred in France under Louis XIII
Municipal and royal authorities responded weakly because they lacked the means of strong ac-tion. They feared sending in troops and firing on crowds, which would create martyrs and wor-sen the situation, and implementing full-scale military occupation because that would be ex-pensive. Royal edicts were suspended, prisoners were released, and discussions were made. By the end of the seventeen century, municipal governments were better integrated into the na-tional structure, and local authorities had the prompt military support of Paris. Those who op-posed government policies and taxes were severely punished.

3. The Fronde and its impact on the future of the French state
The Fronde was a series of civil wars in France between 1648 to 1653. Originally, it meant a “slingshot” or “catapult” and one who threw mud at passing carriages was a frondeur. Howev-er, frondeur came to mean someone who opposed the policies of the government. Many people, especially the nobility, opposed the government and refused to pay taxes. Rebellions led by aristocratic factions broke out in the provinces and spread to Paris, ruining civil order. There were three impacts of the Fronde. First, the government decided that it would have to compromise with the bureaucrats and social elites that controlled local institutions and consti-tuted the state bureaucracy. Second, the French economy was badly disrupted and would take a few years to recover. Third, the wars had a traumatic effect on young Louis XIV where he and his mother were constantly threatened. This experience formed the backbone of his political education and of his belief that the only alternative to anarchy was absolute monarchy.

4. Louis XIV attempts to control the French nobility and the palace of Versailles
The misery he suffered during the Fronde gave Louis XIV a long-lasting distrust of the nobility and a feeling of isolation. He introduced significant government innovations that aimed at the complete domestication of the nobility. He had complete control of the nobility by cooperating or collaborating with the nobility. The nobility participated in projects that praised the mo-narchy and strengthened its prestige. Louis used court ceremonials to undermine the power of the nobility. He excluded them from his councils, weakening their ancient rights to advise the king and participate in government. He separated power from status and secured the coopera-tion of the nobles while they enjoyed a grandeur lifestyle. Louis never called a meeting of the Estates General, preventing the nobility from expressing themselves.

5. The economic policies of French minister Colbert and how he implemented them
Jean-Baptiste Colbert believed that the wealth and economy of France should serve the state. He supported mercantilism, a collection of governmental policies for the regulation of eco-nomic activities, especially commercial activities, by and for the state. Colbert believed in more than a favorable balance of trade that required exporting surplus goods and importing nothing. He believed that France should be self-sufficient. This would stop the outflow of gold, debtor states would pay in bullion, and the power and prestige of France would be increased. He attempted self-sufficiency by supporting old and new industries in the state. He established a system of state inspection and regulation and guilds to maintain industry order. He built roads and canals to improve communications and abolished domestic tariffs and established foreign tariffs to benefit French industry. He established a powerful merchant marine to transport goods. He sponsored oversea colonization for the rich natural resources.

6. Louis XIV’s revocation of the Edict of Nantes and its impact on economic and foreign affairs
Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes because he wanted one religion to unify France and be-cause he saw other religions beside Catholicism as troublesome and monstrous. The French monarchy had never intended for religious tolerance or pluralism. Louis’s revocation earned him enormous praise from the contemporaries. The revocation forced tens of thousands of Huguenot artisans, soldiers, and business people to emigrate and leave France deprived of their skill and tax revenues. They kept their resentment when the traveled to Holland, England, Prussia, and South Africa.

7. French classicism and absolutism’s role in its development, the works of Poussin, Racine, and Molière
French classicism is the art and literature of the age of Louis XIV. Artists and writers deliberately imitated the subject matter and style of classical antiquity so that their art resembled that of Renaissance Italy and had discipline, balance, and restraint. The principles of absolutism molded the ideals of French classicism by disallowing individualism and causing artists to glorify the state by personifying the king. Poussin believed the highest aim of painting was to represent noble actions logically and orderly, but not realistically. The peoples and horses are ideal representations, and the emotions expressed are studied, not spontaneous. Racine analyzed the power of love and based his dramas on Greek and Roman legends with a theme of good and evil. Molière wrote comedies that exposed the hypocrisies and follies of society. They were based on careful social observation that followed classical models. He mocked the bourgeoisie but stopped before the nobility, reflecting the policy of his royal patron.