Source+B

Homebased Learning! Source B

We are about to make great changes in the //parlements//. For several months the King’s orders and replies have displayed unswerving consistency and firmness of principle. The //parlements// are stunned and worried but persist nonetheless with troublemaking resolutions and protests. The idea is to confine them to act as judges and to create another assembly that will have the right to register taxes and general laws for the kingdom. It is very annoying to be obliged to institute changes of this nature, but it is clear that any delay would reduce the resources for preserving and consolidating the King’s authority.
 * Marie Antoinette writing to her brother Joseph II of Austria (24 April 1788). This letter describes the attitude and actions of the nobles in the p//arlements//.**

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Source B does not support the view that the French Revolution was caused by the deteriorating economic condition. Instead, it suggests that it could have been due to the many protests in the country caused by the nobles who wanted a change in politics. The source states that the parlements persisted with 'troublemaking resolutions and protests', and wanted to 'create another assembly that will have the right to register taxes and general laws for the kingdom'. This shows that the nobility were dissatisfied with the way the country was run and wanted more political power in their hands. From the attitudes of the nobles towards the politics of the country, it can be infered that the attitudes led to many protests which may have increased the dissatisfaction among the people of France, hence playing a role in contributing to the French Revolution.
 * Final Version**

These inferences can be supported by contextual knowledge. The source makes reference to an "assembly" which was intended to "register taxes and general laws for the kingdom". From our contextual knowledge, Charles de Calonne, then Controller-General of Finance, and Louis XVI opted for a handpicked Assembly of Notables as the body for approving Calonne's proposed reforms of the taxation system. To them, the Assembly of Notables would serve as an impressionable and pliant body who would assent to the new taxation, and hence "confine them to act as judges" in agreeing to rubberstamp the reform package. However, their decision to do so was met with "troublemaking resolutions and protests", for some leading nobles, such as Lafayette, felt that only a national assembly would be legitimate in making such major decisions. This shows that the discontent existing within the people with regards to the arrangments made in seeking approval for tax reforms was a possible cause of the French Revolution. Hence, our inference from Source B corroborates with contextual knowledge. Thus it can be concluded that Source B challenges the view that deteriorating economic conditions led to the French Revolution as it shows that discontent towards the political situation of the country could have been a cause.

[Yi Xian and Vivian][edited by Dawne!] Source B does not support the view that the French Revolution was due to deteriorating economic conditions. It suggests instead that the French Revolution could be due to the many protests in the country caused by the nobles wanting a change in politics. The source states that the parlements persisted with 'troublemaking resolutions and protests', and wanted to 'create another assembly that will have the right to register taxes and general laws for the kingdom'. This shows that the nobility were dissatisfied with the way the country was run and wanted more political power in their hands. From the attitudes of the nobles towards the politics of the country, we can infer that this led to many protests which could have increased the dissatisfaction among the people of France and played a role in contributing to the French Revolution. Thus, this source challenges the view that deteriorating economic conditions led to the French Revolution as it shows that discontent towards the political situation of the country could have been a cause.
 * Edited**

These inferences made from the source are supported by contextual knowledge. The source makes reference to an "assembly" which was intended to "register taxes and general laws for the kingdom". From our contextual knowledge, Charles de Calonne, then Controller-General of Finance, and Louis XVI opted for a handpicked Assembly of Notables as the body for approving Calonne's proposed reforms of the taxation system. To them, the Assembly of Notables would serve as an impressionable and pliant body who would assent to the new taxation, and hence "confine them to act as judges" in agreeing to rubberstamp the reform package. However, their decision to do so was met with "troublemaking resolutions and protests", for some leading nobles, such as Lafayette, felt that only a national assembly would be legitimate in making such major decisions. This shows that the discontent existing within the people with regards to the arrangments made in seeking approval for tax reforms was a possible cause of the French Revolution. Hence, our inference from Source B corroborates with contextual knowledge.

[Yi Xian] Source B does not support the view that the French Revolution was due to deteriorating economic conditions. The source states that the parlements persisted with 'troublemaking resolutions and protests', and wanted to 'create another assembly that will have the right to register taxes and general laws for the kingdom'. This shows that the nobility were dissatisfied with the way the country was run and wanted more political power in their hands. As such, the source shows that the attitudes of the nobles towards the politics of the country led to many protests and this thus played a role in contributing to the French Revolution. Thus, this source challenges the view that deteriorating economic conditions led to the French Revolution as it shows that discontent towards the political situation of the country could have been a cause.
 * Original**

[Vivian] The inferences made from the source are supported by contextual knowledge, thus proving Source B's reliability. The source makes reference to an "assembly" which was intended to "register taxes and general laws for the kingdom". From our contextual knowledge, Charles de Calonne, then Controller-General of Finance, and Louis XVI opted for a handpicked Assembly of Notables as the body for approving Calonne's proposed reforms of the taxation system. To them, the Assembly of Notables would serve as an impressionable and pliant body who would assent to the new taxation, and hence "confine them to act as judges" in agreeing to rubberstamp the reform package. However, their decision to do so was met with "troublemaking resolutions and protests", for some leading nobles, such as Lafayette, felt that only a national assembly would be legitimate in making such major decisions. This shows that the discontent existing within the people with regards to the arrangments made in seeking approval for tax reforms was a possiible cause of the French Revolution. Hence, Source B corroborates with our contextual knowledge, proving its reliability.

Done by: Yan Han, Vivian, Yi Xian, Dawne