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Article: The rise and fall of Maximum.(French Revolution)
- Article from:
- Calliope
- Article date:
- April 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In a way, the Revolution was the result of an economic crisis. The rising national debt had led to the calling of the Estates-General in 1789, and the high cost of food that summer had fueled the anger of the Parisian mob that drove the rebellion forward. For the Revolution's leaders, it was also a dangerous situation. Throughout all the exciting events, from the fall of the Bastille (see pages 6-9) to the riots at the Tuileries (see pages 12-16), prices had stayed high and the populace remained restless. The leaders knew that hungry crowds were dangerous crowds, and so they had to act to get more money into the people's hands.
At the time, coins were used for ...