Jacques Necker Biography
Author S of the Public: S. Citizen Geneva, he three times became a minister in France at a turning point in the history of this country. Having reached a brilliant career in the old manner, Necker did not expect and did not want the dramatic shocks that occurred in the last decade of the 18th century. But he was a person who is sensitive to fresh trends, susceptible to innovations and was able to carry out reforms due to the same fundamental and volitional qualities.
Necker’s activities cannot be considered outside the historical context. His efforts to modernize the state and society are part of the reformation course of the French monarchy in the middle and second half of the XVIII century. Soviet historical science adopted from the French republican tradition a sharply negative attitude to the old regime, and with it inattention to the reformation of the times of Louis XV and Louis XVI.
Only the predecessor of Necker, A. Turgo, the Minister of Finance under Louis XVI, who was awarded posthumous praise for affiliation for enlightenment, but, especially for edicts in the spirit of a market economy, which foresaw the revolution, which historians not so long confidently qualified as a bourgeoisie, was lucky. Marxist authors referred to the words of K. Marx that Turgo was “a radical bourgeois minister, whose activity was an introduction to the French Revolution” 1.
But this general finance controller was drawn by a loneliness accidentally gnawed into the slender ranks of the retrograde politicians. His short stay in power increased a similar impression. In general, the absolutism of Louis XVI was interpreted as incapable of any conscious and long-term transformation policy. The representative of the Russian School V. Fundamental changes in the approach to the internal politics of France of the late absolutism occurred with the advent of “Revi -Blumenau Fedorovich - Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of General History of the Bryansk State University.
It destroyed the wall that was elevated by traditional historiography, which was elevated by the old order from the advent of the Russian school. The revolutions. Reflections on this, as well as the hypothetical possibility of peaceful, evolutionary development, strengthened interest in the initiatives of royal ministers-reformers. The defeat of the "classical" interpretation of the French revolution in 60 - E.
First of all, in the English -speaking scientific literature it was clearly aware that in autocratic societies the adoption of cardinal decisions depends on individual large figures and small influential groups located "upstairs." Hence the widespread of the biographies of politicians of the end of the old order, the works of the relations of ministers among themselves, with the royal couple and the monarchy environment, about the contacts of the government with the parliaments.
The initiator of appeal to the problems of self -Russia's self -Russia's self -Russia's power was A. Ado, who in the years invited his students to explore these issues. So, in the dissertation of E. Kalonna, nominated in the year 3. Considering the relationship of parliaments with absolutism, I. Bergo paid significant attention to the transformative aspirations of power. However, having stated that "over the years, the government did not make a single really serious attempt to fundamentally solve the financial, socio -economic, political problems in front of him" 4, she thereby denied the significance of Necker's reforms during his first period of stay at the post of Minister of Finance - GG.
In Soviet historiography, Necker gave various grades. В книге о бумажных деньгах в эпоху Французской революции, вышедшей в г. Фалькнер писал о достижениях Неккера в сфере экономики и называл его "самой яркой фигурой из всех предреволюционных контролеров финансов" 5. Выдающийся отечественный знаток идеологии Просвещения академик В. Он касался взглядов знаменитого реформатора, выбрав из его многочисленных трудов одну, но очень важную работу - "О законодательстве и торговле bread ".
It was she who pushed Necker with Turgo; Here, his critical attitude to the concept of physiocrats, to the idea of freedom of trade, was clearly revealed here. Volgin rightly emphasized that the objections of the Swiss were partly caused by concern for the vital interests of the poor. At the same time, the scientist did not escape the economist’s social assessment mandatory for the Marxist science, arguing that his journalism reflected the interests of the “privileged bourgeois layer that managed to adapt to the feudal-absolutist regime” 6.
He attributed Necker to the “financiers”, who parasitized as unusuals in the French fiscal system, then, then As in reality, he, being a banker, belonged to entrepreneurial circles. We have not known enough about the political activity of Necker and in this connection the chronological inaccuracies allowed in the three -volume academic publication "History of France" 7 are indicative.It was reported that he received a government appointment in the city of some reforms, the list of which was very incomplete.
Other assessments were given by V. Revunenkov in the "Essays on the History of the Great French Revolution", where the author wrote about the activities of Turgo and Necker, dwelling at their main events 8. At the turn of the new page. Studying the biography of the politician, the researchers, first of all, strive to characterize his views, the essence of the course ongoing, with the help of scientific techniques and terminology.
But does this not obscure, sometimes, a specific person with unique features, character characteristics, temperament, tastes and addictions? Most people owe many people to the family. It is not only about heredity, but also about education, parental example and guardianship. In the life of the future minister, the father played a special role. Charles -Frederick Necker was born in G.
in his youth - a teacher of children of the German aristocracy, he was so successful in this matter that he even earned a pension from the English king George I - Elector Ganover. Necker later became a lawyer and a university teacher, and with G., having entered into a 40-year-old, he got married to Jeanu-Marie Gauthier, he rose even higher on the social ladder, became one of those who perform state affairs.
There were four children in his family, but only two sons survived: Louis G. The first had remarkable mathematical abilities and, at the age of 26, was elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences. But he turned out to be too loving. A stormy romance with Madame Bern, the wife of his father's friend, was exceptions to him from a professional corps.
Later Louis continued to scandalize society with frequent marriage to Jacques, born in G. at first, it seemed that he was also prepared by an academic career: a teenager was a philologist. But the father made a choice in favor of banking and commerce. He quickly showed talents and after 2 years he gave advice, however, delicately for his cartridge. In the city of the began the seven -year war - gg.
The ill -wishers talked about his dexterous enterprises. A significant number of British securities were bought up, which cost little during the hostilities, but sharply increased in price with the signing of the world and then presented for payment. Meanwhile, the obligations of the bank itself, sold at one time at a fabulous price, were subsequently paid to the British at the face value, that is, much cheaper.
Successful for Necker and trade operations with bread. Then he began to invest in the East India Company, which survived from g. But on September 28, Necker protested against such a turn of events, but could not disobey the corresponding decision of the Royal Council and prepared the company for liquidation. This did not prevent him from further financial prosperity: the banker’s personal life successfully developed in the city.
Visiting one of the salons, he met a charming girl - Suzanne Kürcho, who came from the pastor family, by that time the deceased. She worked as a teacher of children. Necker married her. Two years later, the daughter of Germain was born, in the future the famous writer Madame de Steel. Suzanne herself discovered a salon where they took on Fridays. Here Necker spoke little, but the hostess actively campaigned for him as a candidate for significant positions.
The couple sincerely loved each other, which surprised the pages. But the family virtues of Necker, among other things, will find a positive response among ordinary Frenchmen. Gradually, Necker was involved not only in secular life, but also in diplomacy. Shuazel, with whom the ambassador had close, friendly relations, introduced him to the king. This facilitated his diplomatic steps and trade operations.
He had many friends and even admirers in an aristocratic environment. In the era of education, the rapprochement of the famous bourgeois with the nobility became a normal phenomenon. The "elite" took shape, in which talent and wealth were appreciated along with Blue Blood. What did this successful man look like and what seemed to others? Necker was distinguished by high growth for cm.
The traits of the Rothuria - a commoner, clearly appeared in it. Some noticed solemnity and pomp in the appearance of a future politician, a small contemptuous mouth. Of course, Necker was a man of great ambition, ambitions. But in a narrow circle of family and friends, he simply kept, behaved emotionally. He looked serious, unperturbed with strangers, listened more than he said, Necker showed more and more interest in activities that would help him aside the political Olympus - to journalism.
A successful entrepreneur was not happy with personal enrichment; He seriously thought about the economic problems of France. The future minister reflected on the difficulties of food supply, financial management, about the state budget. Soon Necker realized that he had a good syllable and could interest the public with his works.