The Pre-Revolution of 1787-1788

The confrontation between crown and parlements in 1787-1788 created a revolutionary situation before the Revolution proper began. Provincial parlements supported Paris in refusing tax registration. The Assembly of the Clergy rejected voluntary contributions replacing tax exemptions. Noble assemblies protested ministerial despotism. This elite resistance, motivated by privilege, employed revolutionary rhetoric about consent, representation, and fundamental laws that would soon escape their control.

Popular opinion, mobilized by parliamentary resistance, demonstrated new political dynamics. Pamphlets proliferated despite censorship. Crowds demonstrated for parlements they had previously despised. Political clubs discussed resistance theories. The "public," previously passive royal subjects, emerged as active political participants whose support all parties courted. This politicization, once begun, could not be reversed when elites achieved their immediate goals.

The May Edicts (1788), Brienne's desperate attempt to break resistance by restructuring the entire judicial system, provoked near-rebellion. Designed by Lamoignon, the edicts created new courts bypassing parlements while establishing legal reforms like criminal procedure improvements. Provincial responses varied from Brittany's noble assemblies declaring resistance to Dauphiné's Vizille assembly uniting all three orders in opposition. The monarchy faced nationwide resistance it lacked force to suppress.

The Day of Tiles in Grenoble (June 7, 1788) showed popular violence entering political conflict. Townspeople pelted royal troops with roof tiles to prevent parliamentary exile. This successful resistance inspired similar actions elsewhere. The combination of elite resistance and popular violence created ungovernable situations. The fiscal crisis meanwhile deepened as tax collection collapsed and credit evaporated. By August 1788, royal government effectively declared bankruptcy, suspending payments and accepting the inevitable: the Estates-General must convene.