<P> France was experiencing such a severe economic depression that there wasn't enough food to go around . Poor harvests lasting several years and an inadequate transportation system both contributed to making food more expensive . As with most monarchies, the upper class was always insured a stable living, so while the rich remained very wealthy, the majority of the French population was starving . Many were so destitute that they couldn't even feed their families and resorted to theft or prostitution to stay alive . Meanwhile, the royal court at Versailles was isolated from and indifferent to the escalating crisis . While in theory King Louis XVI was an absolute monarch, in practice he was often indecisive and known to back down when faced with strong opposition . While he did reduce government expenditures, opponents in the parlements successfully thwarted his attempts at enacting much needed reforms . The Enlightenment had produced many writers, pamphleteers and publishers who could inform or inflame public opinion . The opposition used this resource to mobilise public opinion against the monarchy, which in turn tried to repress the underground literature . </P> <P> Many other factors involved resentments and aspirations given focus by the rise of Enlightenment ideals . These included resentment of royal absolutism; resentment by peasants, labourers and the bourgeoisie towards the traditional seigneurial privileges possessed by the nobility; resentment of the Catholic Church's influence over public policy and institutions; aspirations for freedom of religion; resentment of aristocratic bishops by the poorer rural clergy; aspirations for social, political and economic equality, and (especially as the Revolution progressed) republicanism; hatred of Queen Marie - Antoinette, who was falsely accused of being a spendthrift and an Austrian spy; and anger towards the King for dismissing ministers, including finance minister Jacques Necker, who were popularly seen as representatives of the people . </P> <P> Freemasonry played an important role in the revolution . Originally largely apolitical, Freemasonry was radicalised in the late 18th century through the introduction of higher grades, which emphasised themes of liberty, equality, and fraternity . Virtually every major player in the Revolution was a Freemason and these themes became the widely recognised slogan of the revolution . </P> <P> In 1774 Louis XVI ascended to the throne in the middle of a financial crisis in which the state was faced with a budget deficit and was nearing bankruptcy . This was due in part to France's costly involvements in the Seven Years' War and later the American Revolutionary War . In May 1776, finance minister Turgot was dismissed, after failing to enact reforms . The next year, Jacques Necker, a foreigner, was appointed Comptroller - General of Finance . He could not be made an official minister because he was a Protestant . </P>

What was the slogan of french revolution in the late eighteenth century