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1.05 The Assembly of Rebels

French Revolution & Napoleon (Grey History)

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Taxation and Smuggling

The gabelle, or the salt tax, was one of the most hated of the indirect taxes. Various areas of france paid widely different amounts which unsurprisingly resulted in vast smuggling operations. The peasants didn't just hide their possessions when the tax man came to town but started doing more drastic things as well. In short, those people with the wealth paid hardly any taxes. And those people that did have to pay were the very definition of overtaxed.

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