To begin with, the precedents set by the rulers of the early 18th century, beginning under Queen Anne in England and Louis XIV in France, would decide the futures of the two countries. While Anne’s reign did serve as the beginning for an age of prosperity for England, Anne herself did not exercise any particularly great amount of influence over the affairs of England. Neither did the monarchs who followed after, for that matter. Upon her death in 1714, the throne went to a foreign noble, George of Hanover, who became George I. Since he did not speak English very well, he participated little in English politics, essentially left matters of state to his advisors. His son, George II, took a similar “hands-off” approach to ruling England, thus encouraging more active participation in government by capable English politicians. When King George III came to the throne in 1760, he would take on a more involved role in English affairs, and his policies would eventually help contribute to the American Revolution in 1775. In spite of the loss of the American colonies in the latter part of the eighteenth century, the English monarchs enjoyed fairly successful, prosperous reigns over their country.

Louis XIV of France, whose glorified reign in France had lasted seventy-two years, took a far more active role in the governing of his country. “L’état c’est moi,” or, “I am the state” was his declared philosophy, and indeed, the royal court and the law of France revolved around the will of Louis. It was he who built the lavish Palace of Versailles as his dwelling place, and he would become best known for his fondness for luxury. In the eighteenth century, the last years of Louis’s reign, the prosperity of France began to decline, owing to expensive wars and royal financial problems caused by Louis’s expensive luxuries. After the death of Louis XIV in 1715, his great grandson, Louis XV, continued his predecessor’s extravagant lifestyle, and this pattern continued on with Louis XV’s grandson, Louis XVI. Since the main focus was on the King and his nobles rather than on the needs of the people, France began to experience hard times, causing discontent among the French people.

In England, a trend towards freedom was beginning to take flight under the eighteenth-century kings. In centuries before, England had already set precedents for giving more rights to its citizenry, beginning with the Magna Carta in 1215 and continuing on with the more recent English Bill of Rights passed in 1689. But under the monarchy of the 18th century, these notions of freedom continued to progress, particularly through the ideas of politicians of the day. Instead of having the king alone determine the law, Parliament and the king’s advisors would play more of a role in establishing English law. It was during this time that the post of “Prime Minister” became more influential in English politics, and men such as Robert Walpole, and William Pitt filled this position and governed in England very capably. Capitalistic ideas also began to take shape during this time as England began to embrace free-market values. Of course, England was a long way from a true application of freedom for all, and, as evidenced by the American Revolution, not everyone under English rule was completely satisfied. However, the English monarchy was rapidly ending its role as an absolute monarchy, and England was beginning to go on the path towards political liberty.

In France, however, the policies of the French Kings were beginning to bear their ghastly fruit. Louis XIV had ruled with absolute power, granting more privileges to the nobles rather than the people, but at least he had taken an active role in government than the kings who followed. Louis XV had given thought only to his own personal pleasure, and Louis XVI, while not necessarily a bad man, was far from competent as a ruler. France had no real parliament, but rather a system of representation known as the Estates General. It was made up of three classes, or estates: the clergy being the first estate, the aristocrats being the second estate, and all the other French people formed the third estate. But since each estate only received one vote, and the Catholic Church of France and the French nobles usually voted down the third estate, which actually contained the majority of the French population. Since the merchant classes in France also formed part of the third estate, they, too, could not get proper representation, and the French economy suffered as result. By its overwhelming self-indulgence and its disregard for its own people, the French monarchy would come to a violent termination by the end of the 18th century.

But by far the greatest factor that made the difference between these two countries was the prevalence of Christianity and Christian moral values. England had undergone the Reformation, and therefore allowed more religious freedom. The “Great Awakening” took place during this time, and preachers such as John Wesley led many to a true belief in Christ. Also, Christianity had a profound effect on English politics. William Blackstone, a famous English politician, wrote a series of essays entitled Commentaries on the Laws of England, in which he stated that no law of man was right if it contradicted God’s revealed law. Since the Church genuinely served as a means for spreading the gospel, England was able to prosper spiritually as well as economically.

The Church of France, however, had long ceased to shine any of God’s truth on the French people. Louis XIV had been tied politically to the Catholic Church, and he had ruthlessly kept the Reformation out of France by revoking the Edict of Nantes, which gave the French Protestants rights to hold their beliefs. This act drove many productive French citizens out of France, leaving France all the poorer as a result. The Catholic Church in France merely served as another branch of political power, and the morals of the French people began to mimic the debauched exploits of the French nobility. With no Church to serve as a moral compass, the French people began to turn to anti-Christian philosophers such as Voltaire and Rousseau, whose rejection of Christianity set the stage for the dominance of atheism and humanism in French thinking. Furthermore, these philosophies went along well with the general discontent the French people had with the monarchy, and the spiritual darkness in France produced violent results during the French Revolution in 1789.

The decisions made by the English and French kings put the two countries on entirely different paths through the course of the 18th century. The diminished role the English Kings in English government would bring about more economic and spiritual freedom, bringing about an era of prosperity for England. In France, the self-centered policies of the kings, their apathetic view of the problems of the French people, and the spiritual blindness of the leading minds of France would contribute to the fall of the French monarchy. While both countries would encounter revolution, the English monarchy was able to endure the American Revolution, while the French King Louis XVI was executed in the bloodbath of the French Revolution. Most importantly, England’s rulers allowed its people to embrace the gospel of Christ and thus enjoy God’s blessing, while France’s rulers sought to stifle God’s truth, causing people to turn to worldly wisdom and false philosophies. In comparing these two monarchies, one sees how the actions taken by the rulers of a country have a profound effect, for good or bad, on the future of that country.

Bibliography:

1. (Author not given,) “The Crisis of the French Monarchy,” Revolution and After: Tragedies and Farces, http://www.wsu.edu:8000/~dee/REV/CRISIS.HTM

2. (Author not given,) “George I,” Britannia, http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon53.html

3. Ross, David, “George I,” English History, http://www.britainexpress.com/History/George_I.htm

4. (Author not given,) “Queen Anne,” History UK,
http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/England-History/QueenAnne.html

5. (Author not given,) “King Louis IV,” French Royalty, http://www.royalty.nu/Europe/France/LouisXIV.html

6. (Author not given,) “George III,” http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRgeorgeIII.htm

7. Spielvogel, Jackson, “18th Century Social Order: Peasants and Aristos,” Western Civilization, http://mars.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/wc2/lectures/peasantsaristos.html

8. (Author not given,) “Society in the 18th Century,” http://www.emayzine.com/lectures/tybun.html

9. (Author not given,) “Sir William Blackstone,” LoveToKnow 1911 Online Encyclopedia,
http://68.1911encyclopedia.org/B/BL/BLACKSTONE_SIR_WILLIAM.htm

History of French Defeats, http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/france.html

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