3.3- Resistance to Reform

In this episode of Revolutions, the focus is on the pushback against reforms in pre-revolutionary France. Efforts towards enlightened absolutism, led by ministers like Maupeou and Turgot under Louis XV and Louis XVI, were met with fierce resistance from the powerful nobility (Parlements), who fought to keep their influence, as well as from the peasantry, who reacted violently against free-market reforms they viewed as exploitative. These tensions, showcasing the struggle between modernization and established interests, ultimately weakened the monarchy's power and set the stage for the French Revolution.