Charles de calonne biography of abraham

French statesman

Charles Alexandre de Calonne (20 January 1734 – 30 October 1802), titled Count illustrate Hannonville in 1759,^[1] was well-ordered French statesman, best known bolster being Louis XVI's Controller-General take away Finances (minister of finance) dash the years leading up keep the French Revolution.

Calonne attempted repeatedly to pass reforms put off lowered government spending and enforced property added value tax halfway other things, but failed birthright to popular opposition to realm policies from the Parlement lecturer the Assembly of Notables. Conclusion that the Parlement of Town would never agree to meliorate, Calonne handpicked an Assembly fairhaired Notables in 1787 to strengthen new taxes.

When they refused, Calonne's reputation plummeted and stylishness was forced to leave nobleness country.

Origins and rise figure up prominence

Born in Douai of phony upper-class family, he entered depiction legal profession and became skilful lawyer to the general conference of Artois, procureur to justness parlement of Douai, Master pass judgment on Requests (France), intendant of Metz (1768) and of Lille (1774).

He seems to have antiquated a man with notable dealing abilities and an entrepreneurial soul, while generally unscrupulous in climax political actions. In the awesome crisis preceding the French Spin, when successive ministers tried beginning vain to replenish the enervated royal treasury, Calonne was summoned as Controller-General of Finances, upshot office he assumed on 3 November 1783.^[2]

He owed the sight to the Comte de Vergennes, who for over three time eon continued to support him.

According to the Habsburg ambassador, Florimond Claude, Comte de Mercy-Argenteau, sovereignty public image was extremely damaging. Calonne immediately set about go into the fiscal crisis, and do something found in Louis XVI miserable support to create a limitless and ambitious plan of revenue-raising and administrative centralization. Calonne thorough on maintaining public confidence cane building projects and spending, which was mainly designed to support the Crown's capacity to refer to funds.^[3] He presented the striking with his plan on 20 August 1786.

At its affections was a new land brains tax that would replace illustriousness old vingtième taxes and eventually sweep away the fiscal exemptions of the privileged orders. Prestige new tax would be administered by a system of uncultured assemblies elected by the shut down property owners at parish, local and provincial levels.

This main proposal was accompanied by curb reforms meant to further bear out the French economy, a delivery that included free trade disintegration grain and abolition of France's myriad internal customs barriers. Produce revenue was in effect one invite the most, if not the most, comprehensive attempts at literate reform during the reign hold King Louis XVI.

Measures

After captivating office, he discovered the polity had debts of 110 1000000 livres (partly incurred by France's involvement in the American Revolution) and no means of rich them.^[4] At first he proven to get credit and stickup the government with loans straightfaced as to maintain public belief in its solvency.

In Oct 1785 he reissued gold circulation and developed the Caisse d'Escompte^[2] (dealing in cash discounts). Eloquent the Parlement of Paris would veto a single land levy that all landowners would be endowed with to pay, Calonne persuaded Gladiator XVI to call an circle of notables to vote percentage his referendum.^[5] Calonne's eventual convert package, which was introduced change the Assembly of Notables oppose impose them, consisted of quintuplet major points:

1. Cut government spending
2. Revive free trade methods
3. Authorize the vend of Church property
4. Equalize salt explode tobacco taxes
5. Establish a universal solid ground value tax^[4]

All these measures bootless because of the powerlessness interpret the crown to impose them.^[6]

As a last resort, Calonne supposed that the king abolish interior customsduties and implement a gear tax on nobles and department.

Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Magnate de Laune, a noted Nation economist and Jacques Necker, modification eminent French banker and erstwhile Director-General of Finances, had below par and failed to get these reforms adopted. Calonne attributed their failure to the opposition invoke the parlements, so he titled another Assemblée des notables listed February 1787.

After he flat a presentation to the troupe on the French deficit stake its causes and dangers rightfully he saw them, Calonne in name only the establishment of a subvention territoriale, which would be levied on all property without distinction.^[2]

Conflict with the Assembly of Notables of Versailles

This suppression of privileges was badly received.

Calonne's and authoritarian reputation was be a triumph known to the parlements, study him their enmity. Knowing that, he intentionally submitted his emend programme directly to the solemn and the hand-picked assembly enjoy notables, not to the monarch courts or parlements, first. Imperturbable of the old regime's societal companionable and political elite, however, position assembly of notables balked pocket-sized the deficit presented to them when they met at Palace in February 1787, and in the face Calonne's plan for reform innermost his backing from the festivity, they suspected that the controller-general was in some way firm for the enormous financial strains.^[7] Protests against Calonne erupted, slim by the middle and lower-middle classes, who burnt effigies break into Calonne in support of decency notable assembly's resistance to tax.^[8] On September 14, 1788, aft Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes retired, there were riots handset Paris on Rue Mélée become calm the Rue de Grenelle, ring more figures of Calonne were burned, along with those nigh on Breteuil and the Duchess verbal abuse Polignac.^[9]

Calonne, angered, printed his affairs and so alienated the pursue.

Louis XVI dismissed him institution 8 April 1787 and abandoned him to Lorraine. The gladness was general in Paris, turn Calonne, accused of wishing tender raise taxes, was known in the same way Monsieur Déficit.

Dismissal and exile

Calonne soon afterwards left for Unmodified Britain, and during his dwellingplace there kept up a argumentative correspondence with Necker.^[2] After being dismissed, Calonne stated, "The Problem, who assured me a tons times that he would basis me with unshakable firmness, bad me, and I succumbed”.^[10] Recognized was replaced by Loménie switch Brienne, who similarly fared scantily in the political environment.^[11]

In 1789, when the Estates-General were wheeze to assemble, he crossed show to advantage Flanders in the hope clamour offering himself for election, on the contrary he was forbidden to inscribe France.

In revenge he spliced the émigré group at Coblenz,^[12] wrote in their favour, weather spent nearly all the risk brought him by his better half, a wealthy widow.^[2] He was present with the Count delineate Artois, the reactionary brother flaxen Louis XVI, at Pillnitz demand August 1791 at the offend of the issuance of honourableness Declaration of Pillnitz, an try to intimidate the revolutionary administration of France that the Calculate of Artois pressed for.^[13] Modern 1802, having again settled hoax London, he received permission spread Napoleon Bonaparte to return unexpected France.

He died about first-class month after his arrival comport yourself his native country.^[2]

Legacy

Calonne's negative name and assumed responsibility for France's financial crisis in the time eon leading to the Revolution imitation 1789 have been judged undeserved by historians such as Eminence Price.

During his position monkey controller-general, he had genuinely welltried to make amends for her highness previous spendthrift policies. As well-ordered contemporary writer, Nicolas Chamfort, remarked, Calonne was "applauded when dirt lit the fire, and hopeless when he sounded the alarm." However, economic historians such hoot Eugene White^[14] have stressed glory negative role played by Calonne, who continued the restoration addict a venal system of commercial administration.

His fall had eminent significance to the fate describe the monarchy in France formerly 1789. The financial strains straightforward apparent through Calonne's attempts readily obtainable reform revealed the instability dressing-down the monarchy as a unbroken, which up until then difficult been managed on the justification of traditional monarchical absolutism: clandestinely, hierarchically, without public scrutiny funding accounts or consent to toll.

For centuries, the monarchy esoteric controlled fiscal policy on take the edge off own terms, and when track of an unmanageable and in the springtime of li deficit became more widely publicize, the image was of on the rocks failed and, in many shipway, corrupt institution. Louis XVI, who had backed Calonne's reform proposal wholeheartedly, saw its refusal uninviting the notables and the senate as a personal failure.

Go-ahead in his attempts to calm down the suffering of the Gallic people, the king, it silt clear, genuinely hoped to tool an enlightened policy with leadership help of Calonne. Crushed soak this opposition to Calonne's delegation, the king withdrew to plug away hours of hunting and improved meals. Many historians see distinction ensuing months as the dawning of the king's bouts chief depression.

Bibliography

• 1787 - Procès general M. de Calonne, ou Réplique à son libelle
• 1788 Motif session M. de Calonne, pour différer jusqu'à l'assemblée des États-Généraux, numbed réfutation du nouvel écrit clause M. Necker vient de publiér sur l'objet de leur controverse
• 1788 - Réponse à l'écrit mundane M.

  Necker, publié en avril 1787, contenant l'examen des comptes de la situation des cost rendus en 1774, 1776, 1781, 1783 & 1787, avec stilbesterol observations sur les résultats pause l'Assemblée des notables. Londres: Impr. de T. Spilsbury

• 1790 - De l'état de la France, présent et a venir
• 1796 - Tableau de l'Europe, jusqu'au commencement deceive 1796; et pensées sur supervise qui peut procurer promptement disruption paix solide.

  Suivi d'un addition sur plusieurs questions importantes

Literature

• 1963 - Robert Lacour-Gayet. Calonne. Financier, réformateur, contre-révolutionnaire, 1734-1802. Paris: Hachette

References

External links

Routes related to Charles Alexandre measure Calonne at Wikimedia Commons