Part 2 (20:00) Narrator: Versailles in the late seventeen hundreds is an oasis of extravagance [wealth]. Surrounded by a land in despair and with an uncertain king at the helm, France is charting a course for disaster.

(20:18) After nineteen years of marriage Louis has sired four children, yet as a king he remains impotent [unable to act]. As the financial crisis escalates all the king can do is hire and fire a succession of administrators, none of whom have the answers. By ancient privilege, the nobility and clergy are exempt from taxation and so as taxes rise to cover the government's mounting debt repayments the burden falls heavily upon the poorest.

(20:52) William Boyle: “If ever God had intervened to make a situation worse, the summer of 1788 and spring of 1789 is a moment when that happens. By the summer of 1788, you already have a burgeoning political crisis and it's developing against the background of very serious food shortage.”

(21:13) Narrator: For the people of France in the 18th century, four is the essence of life itself. Bread, the measure of existence.

Lynn Hunt: “Most ordinary people in France ate at least two pounds a day of bread. Bread was all-important. Its price was immediately felt by everyone. If the price doubled you're in big trouble.” Under the financial mismanagement of Louis’ government, the cost of bread skyrockets. Food supplies are hoarded by profiteers and the cost of a loaf of bread can soon equal a month's wages.

(21:51) Hunger turns to rage. Bread riots break out across France. Bakeries are raided and shopkeepers suspected of hoarding bread are lynched on the spot.

12. Why was bread so important in France?

13. What was the result of the rise in bread prices in 1788-1789?

14. Based on the images, video, and text above, identify the economic issues facing pre-revolutionary France?

15. How might these economic issues have led the French people to revolt against their government?