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France is in a state of ruin...
France is in a state of ruin...
Item # 695167
September 16, 1762
THE LONDON CHRONICLE, England, Sept. 16, 1762
* Past Seven Years' War France
Page 4 has nearly a full column letter concerning the situation in the French & Indian War, beginning: "Is not France reduced to the lowest ebb of riches and power? Are not her fleets almost totally destroyed, and her marine in a state of weakness & disorder...Are not her finances exhausted, her commerce ruined..." and more on this and other aspects which relate to the war.
Eight pages, 8 1/4 by 10 3/4 inches, partial red tax stamp on page 2, nice condition.
AI notes: In 1762, France was teetering on the edge of crisis, weakened by years of costly involvement in the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763), which drained its treasury, exposed the inefficiencies of its military, and brought humiliating defeats on a global scale. The war had stretched France’s resources thin, and by 1762, it had already lost most of its North American territories, including Canada, to the British, while also suffering major setbacks in India and the Caribbean. These losses signaled the collapse of France’s colonial ambitions and marked a turning point in global power toward Britain. Internally, the kingdom was plagued by a deeply flawed financial system in which the tax burden fell disproportionately on the poor, while the nobility and clergy enjoyed privileges and exemptions, leading to rising social unrest. The monarchy’s dependence on borrowing to fund its war efforts left the state heavily indebted and fiscally fragile. Political tensions simmered between the Crown and the powerful regional parlements, especially the Parlement of Paris, which resisted royal reforms and challenged royal authority. While not yet in absolute ruin, France in 1762 was a nation in decline—militarily, economically, and politically—setting the stage for the revolutionary upheavals that would erupt later in the century.
Category: The 1600's and 1700's
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