Analysis of "Calonne's reform programme"

This is a private document, a letter written directly to the king, expressing Calonne's concerns as at 26th August 1786. It is a strong source for the subject "France before the Revolution", in that its purpose is to describe France at that time - five years before the revolution. It was written by a man in a position to know - Calonne was comptroller-general of the royal finances. In addition, it was written by someone with nothing to gain by deceit or exaggeration. Calonne was risking his job (and eventually lost it) with such open criticism, so he must have thought it absolutely necessary. We can be reasonably confident of its truthfulness and impartiality.

However, this is just one man's opinion. However honest, however well informed, we cannot take as fact any single opinion without some independent sources to verify it. In this case, perhaps some records detailing the troubles of administration, or some accounts from common people would help. Also, its focus is on national administration, and gives little time to the plight of individual people. It describes France before the revolution, but not the French.

Calonne portrays a fractured France, using words like "disparate", "disaccord" and "incoherence" - all strongly critical. He talks of "the different parts of the body of the monarchy", but it is not clear what this refers to (presumably the governing system, but further research would be necessary to clarify). "vices which enervate its strength" implies an erosion from within, as if Calonne believes the system is sound (it has a strength) but it is being weakened by "constitutional vices".

Calonne talks specifically about geographical regions, or "lands". It is not clear how big a "land" was, whether he was referring to something the size of a manor, or the size of Bordeaux. One would need to look into how France was divided up to gain a clearer idea. His references to "lands with provincial assemblies, lands of mixed administration" imply many different methods of government at the local level. "mixed administration" is not explained, but presumably describes regions that use a variety of means of administration. His talk of "multifarious internal barriers" suggests isolated regions with sharply dividing borders, like cantons or states, and similarly with "provinces are foreign to one another".

It is not just a fractured country, but an unbalanced one. "Certain areas are freed from burdens of which others bear the full weight", although Calonne gives no examples of these burdens, so further research would be required. "The richest class contributes least", "where privileges destroy all balance". We can assume this refers to the aristocracy, but further research would confirm and elaborate.

He discusses the effects of these problems: "the result is that general administration is excessively complicated", "trade hindered", "circulation obstructed", "is impossible to govern well". So, the borders between lands were not easily traversed, and the needs of each land had to be individually assessed. People suffered at a local level - "agriculture crushed by overwhelming burdens" and tax collection was made expensive, unreliable, and ultimately unprofitable "the state's finances impoverished by excessive costs of recovery".

Reading between the lines, Calonne unwittingly foreshadows the revolution. He talks of "so many abuses, so visible to all eyes", and "a public opinion which condemns them". How he arrives at this "public opinion" is not clear, and perhaps may not mean what we mean by the phrase today (further sources would be needed to clarify) but it is clear that he feels reform is overdue, and that this is a widely held belief.

Consider also "establishing a more uniform order", and "one cannot destroy any one of them without attacking them all". France, despite its disparate nature was still united under the monarchy. It suggests that simple reform is not enough, but that a complete (and popularly supported) rebuild of the whole system is needed.

If you look closely at the tone of the writing, these strong views are expressed in very obtuse language. At no point is the king directly referred to. This unwittingly suggests that even as late as 1786, the king wielded sufficient power to forcibly silence his critics, and that Calonne was afraid of this.

The richer classes are criticised too. When he says "the richest class contributes least", he does not describe the richest class, or their contributions. This implies that the class system did not need explaining. It was common knowledge (at least to the king), well defined, and possibly even part of the law.

The system as a whole appears bureaucratic and corrupt. Consider "trade hindered by countless restrictions", "brimming with abuses" and again "so many abuses, so visible to all eyes". Consider also "provinces are foreign to one another", "where multifarious internal barriers separate and divide", and we have a picture of separate regions regarding each other with suspicion and hostility. Calonne unwittingly foreshadows the civil war.

So, to summarise, this document is very useful as a primary source of 'France before the revolution', as its purpose is to describe just that. However, it would require further sources to clarify certain points, and would contribute little if one's interest lay primarily in the lives of ordinary people.

Bibliography

• Document : "Calonne's Reform programme"
• TV broadcasts: TV9 "The French Revolution: Impact and Sources"
• Cassettes : AC4
• Course texts : Block 3, Resource Book 2