French Politics 1774-1789

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Contents PART ONE Le chagrin de l'exil or the appointment and dismissal of ministers X 1 7 One The six ministries: an overview............ 19 Two The appointment and dismissal of ministers: from the .... accession of Louis XVI to the death of Maurepas, 1774-81 25 Ministers Louis XVl inherited from Louis XV, May 1774.. 25 Chancellor..... 25 Contr6leur-general des finances.. 26 Secretary of state for foreign affairs and war.. 27 Secretary of state for the marine . . . 28 Secretary of state for the maison du roi.. .. . 29 Fifth secretary of state.... 31 1774: The new appointments. 31 The recall of the Comte de Maurepas. 31 The fall and replacement of d'Aiguillon.. . 32 The rise of Turgot... . 37 The fall of Maupeou and Terray .... 37 The replacement of Terray .. 42 1775. 44 The completion of Maurepas's minist1y. 44 The death and replacement of du Muy... . 47 1776.. 49 The replacement of Malesherbes.. . . 49 The fall and replacement of Turgot.. 50 The appointment of Necker.... . 52 1777 The appointment of Montbarey 1778-9. 1780. The decline of Maurepas and the fall of Sartine and Montbarey .... 1781. Necker's resignation and his replacement by Joly de Fleury .. Three The appointment and dismissal of ministers: from the death of Maurepas to the Assembly of Notables 1782. 1783. The last ministerial changes before the convocation of the Assembly of Notables ... The fall of d'Ormesson .. Calonne's ancestry and antecedents. 1784-----6 . Deceptive calm .. Four The appointment and dismissal of ministers: from the convocation of the Assembly of Notables to the fall of the Bastille ...... . 1787. The death of Vergennes. The dismissal of Miromesnil .. The fall of Calonne . The appointment of Lomenie de Brienne .. 1788. The resignation of Breteuil .. The fall of LomCnie de Brienne and the reappointment of Necker The fall of Lamoignon . 1789. The dismissal of Necker, Montmorin and Puysegur, and the resignation of La Luzerne . The fall of the Breteuil ministry . Five Conclusion to Part One ....... . PART TWO Separate Councils Six Prime and principal ministers Precedents .. viii 53 53 54 54 54 59 59 64 64 64 64 68 73 77 77 79 79 79 80 84 89 94 94 95 97 101 101 104 108 117 117 CONTENTS Maurepas ........... · Vergennes Lomenie de Brienne ............ • ··· · Necker's second ministry ........ · Conclusion The 'embarrassments of peace' and the paradoxes of Seven . . f. C power: ontr6leurs , directeurs and mm1stres des mances .. Introduction Necker's first ministry ....... •·· ··· ... The Compte rendu ..... . Joly de Fleury ...... • • • · ·· D'Ormesson Calonne Eight Decision-making: councils, comites and conferences .. . The councils of Necker's second mrmstry, 1788-9 ....................... . The conseil d'etat and foreign policy .. The use of comitCs ... The comite des finances . The comite de gouvernement, 1783-7 ....... Conclusion Nine Louis XVI and the politicians Ten The political role of Marie-Antoinette ... The ascendancy of Marie-Antoinette .... Eleven The crown and the parlement ................. • • •. The breakdown in relations between crown and parlement, 1785-6 ........ . Twelve The politicians and the public Conclusion . Appendix J.· Louis XVI's ministers, 1774-89 .... Appendix 2: Map of the generalites of France.. . Appendix 3: The king's residences away from Versailles Glossary ... Principal sources cited .. Index .. ix