British And French Change In The 17Th Century Essay, Research Paper

In the seventeenth century, the political power of the

Parliament in England, and the Monarchy in France increased greatly.

These conditions were inspired by three major changes: the aftermath

of the reformation, the need for an increased governmental financing,

and the reorganizing of central governments. These three points were

each resolved in a different way in both England and in France.

The first major point which eventually increased political power

was the aftermath of the Protestant reformation. In England, after the

establishment of the separate Anglican church of England there were

many protestant groups left in England still in conflict. These groups

all tried to push and pull parliament in their favor — which

ultimately made it so that nothing could be done. These conflicts even

came to the point of bloody civil wars and suffering on both sides of

the fighting. Parliament ultimately decided to stop these wars by

creating religious Act of Toleration (1689) for the non-conformist

protestants. For many people, this caused more unity in England and

increased power. In France, the decision was made to unify the country

through the establishment of a single religious authority, the

Catholic Church. The king of France became the heart of this policy,

which gave him control of religion when this went into effect.

The next major point was the increase in need for governmental

financing. In England, taxing had become under the control of

Parliament. In addition to this, the cost of running a government in

general had gone up and the country needed more money. Because the

king didn’t have as much power to tax as he pleases, the government

could make a firm and accurate taxation of the people. In France, the

price of government had also gone up. However, here the was a monarchy

and a king with great control over the government. Using his control

of the economy, a strong “Mercantilism” system was used aimed at

maximizing foreign exports and reserves. The king became the center of

this new power.

The last major point which increased political power was the

reorganizing of the central governments in both England and in France.

The economic changes in this century required new relationships

between the King and his subjects. In England, the parliament because

of this need, grew to have power over the king and cause great

toleration of people’s beliefs, in addition to keeping a strong

central government. In France, the Parliaments of Henry IV were

totally changed by the next active king, Louis XIV. Louis XIV created

a powerful monarchy the gave him absolute power. He used the slogans

“One king, one law, one faith” and “I am the state” to demonstrate his

attitudes toward what a leader should be in the setting of seventeenth

century France.

These three points of show how France and England adapted to the

needs of the seventeenth century. While similar pressures existed in

each county, such as finances and religious differences, each

responded in a manner based on the philosophies and cultures of their

land. This increase in political power has vastly effected the

destinies of both these countries forever.