The Crisis of the Ancien Régime: Social Structure and Fiscal Collapse (1774–1788)

What this note covers

1. The Three Estates: A Society Frozen by Privilege
2. Fiscal Catastrophe: Wars, Debt and a Bankrupt State
3. The Failure of Reform: Turgot, Necker and Calonne
4. The Role of the Parlements: Institutional Obstruction
5. The Nobility's Reaction and the 'Aristocratic Resurgence'
6. Enlightenment Ideas and the Delegitimisation of Privilege
7. William Doyle and the Interpretation of Systemic Institutional Failure

7 sections · 14 key terms & formulas · 6 common mistakes