ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the events that followed the refusal of the privileged orders to approve reform of France’s fiscal system and the king’s decision to convoke the Estates-General with the expectation of enacting the proposed reforms. The cahiers called for a range of reforms and the drawing up of the lists had created an expectation that the issues would be addressed in Versailles. A combination of rumour and radical agitation in response to the king moving troops close to Paris, and fear of the dissolution of the National Assembly, sparked an outburst of violence against the monarchy. The helplessness of the armed forces facing continuous urban disturbances should have been a warning sign to the privileged orders that inciting riot could have unpredictable consequences, with outcomes not limited to the radicalisation of popular demands. The drawing up of cahiers de doleances provides a snapshot of the concerns of the French people on the brink of the revolution.
