Operating a Multi-National Corporation
France has one of the most complex and fascinating histories of any country in the world. Cultures in France are traceable to the Old Stone, or Paleolithic Age, from paintings in caves in the southwestern region of France. Mesolithic Age dwellers in France left behind many amazing stone monuments. During the Bronze and Iron Age more sophisticated cultures began to emerge, as the Celts, or Gauls, became dominant. For most of modern history, France has been ruled by a monarchy. The monarchy was able to greatly empower France and expand its territories and wealth during the 17th and 18th centuries. However, during the 18th century, France was greatly in need of reforms. Louis XV and Louis XVI ruled France for nearly the entire century. During this Age of Enlightenment, many French political and social writers influenced the thoughts and actions of numerous individuals in Europe and America. French was considered the language of educated people and the period remains a great one in French history. However, neither monarch possessed the skills and abilities needed to bring about the reforms and changes necessary at this time in the country’s history.
The French Revolution would cap the 18th century, seeing Napoleon’s reign as dictator begin in 1799. Economics, as usual, were a major underlying factor in the Revolution, and it transpired in part because of the political and social writings of those opposed to the policies and attitudes of the monarchy. Nonetheless, the monarchy refused to bend. Until Napoleon took power, “France had been a monarchy with two privileged classes: the nobility and the clergy. Under this old order there was no place for either the new class of economically independent bourgeois or the new class of industrial workers. They, as well as peasants, bore the brunt of excessive spending on the part of the nobility. Heavy taxes, military service, backw...