At the end of the 18th century, France was the center of cultural sophistication. However, beneath the shiny surface, a storm was brewing. The absolute monarchy was broken; the majority of France was hungry and dissatisfied with the system of government. As the Enlightenment took hold and ideas about the right kind of government began to spread, the tension only began to increase. By the late 1780s, France was in the midst of the French Revolution, thanks to weak leadership, calls for change among the French social classes, and radical thinkers willing to take a stand. As the late 1780s dawned, France's financial situation was in crisis. bare. Louis XIV accumulated huge debts through his costly wars and by building the sumptuous palace of Versailles. After his death, France continued to fight costly wars; the most recent was the American Revolution, where they provided 2.5 billion livres to the American cause. At that time France was divided into three estates: the clergy (1st estate), the nobles (2nd estate) and the peasants (3rd estate). The first and second estates had only 350,000 people combined, but held between 30 and 43 percent of the land. However, the two estates paid little or no taxes, meaning that most of France's debt was paid by the 22 million peasants who owned very little. France had a revolving door of finance ministers, all of whom supported fiscal restraint (at this point, 50% of the French budget was spent paying interest) and adopting a more egalitarian approach to paying taxes. Louis XIV immediately rejected these ideas, hence their series. When Louis XIV inherited the throne, he was unprepared to deal with the tumultuous situation. The monarchy was not so absolute... middle of paper... the Jacobins gained the support of the people. However, it is when Louis attempts to escape in June 1791, that the Jacobins gain most of their support. Whatever respect and authority Louis had vanishes as he flees. Louis becomes the "first servant" of the people and no longer has any political authority, leaving the door wide open for the Jacobins to take control of the government. France only continued to slide downward as the Jacobins grew in power. They were supported by the Parisian masses, who ultimately allowed Robespierre to come to power in 1793. He, as a member of the Committee of Public Safety, saw thousands of “traitors” massacred for speaking out against the radical turn taken by the revolution. It was Robespierre's death in 1794 that ended the bloody revolution, although it left France in bloody chaos, leaving the way open for Napoleon to take control..