Chapters 52 through 55 Summary and Analysis

In "The French Revolution", Louis XIV has become the entire government of France, and authors such as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montezquieu begin to urge change due to poor conditions of life. The treasury is in debt, and Louis hires a series of ineffectual ministers of finance who succeed only in furthering the debt. Revolts begin to occur, and the king calls for a meeting of the Estates General. The queen calls for soldiers to come to Paris, and the peasants revolt and destroy the prison of Bastille. The National Assembly writes the Declaration of the Rights of Man, and in September of 1791, the constitution of France is written. In October, the Legislative Assembly meets, but armies of Prussia arrive to save the king. The peasants rise up in Paris, storm the palace, and arrest the king. When the National...