On his accession to the throne, France was a poverty stricken country with high debt and a great deal of taxation that led to the general misery of the population. Louis was 20 years old when he came to the throne, and was never comfortable being king. His greatest weakness was his tendency to take advice from others.

June 1777- Necker becomes Director General of Finance

Necker refused to imply tax reforms to the French system of taxation. This was understandable after the gentleman before him lost his position after he attempted to revise the present tax system. The nobility were not required to pay taxes and Louis did not want to upset them by implementing a nobility tax. This led to a yearly deficit where Louis had to borrow the difference.

August 8, 1788- Estates General (National Assembly reinstated)

This weakend King Louis...