The government continued to become poorer and poorer and it seemed the only successful taxation was done towards the peasants, whom had the least money. The monarchy eventually fell and caused great unrest leading to the French Revolution. .
The incident that really stood out during the course of the revolution was indeed the "Storming of the Bastille." This was a quite violent incident and which commenced with troops of the Bastille killing ninety-eight people and wounding many others who were in the crowd at the time (The Western Heritage, vol. B: 1300-1815 pp. 633). The main reason why these people were gathering others as well as seeking to form a militia was in an attempt to collect weapons as they had already been in several bread riots that year because of the dismissing of Necker who was a very popular financial minister amongst the people (sources 1, 2, & 3, handout).
The description of these individuals as "The scum of the people" is an accurate one to the extent of the governments own purposes; to me the troops and the governor should have seen this coming. The majority of those who marched to the Bastille were unskilled laborers such as shop keepers, artisans and other low-wage earners who were basically taxed the majority of their wages on bread alone and hence the previous riots, thusly leading to march at the Bastille in search of weapons to aid their militia. The percentage of their wages these people had to give up on just bread was ridiculous, plus the constant increase in the price between 1730 and 1790 was even more ridiculous. At one point, at about 1788 the price of a kilogram of wheat (the key ingredient in bread) was about 20 franks, and by 1789 the price made a jump to about 29 franks if not more (Sources 1, 2 and 3, handout). While this drastic price increase is occurring the wages that had to pay for this nourishment were not getting any higher. The government were entirely to blame as they taxed those individuals who made little or nothing the most and vice versa.
