CITY OF PARIS - Lot 245

Lot 245
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CITY OF PARIS - Lot 245
CITY OF PARIS Municipal Administration of Direct Taxes. Letter regarding the compulsory loan of one billion. Paris, July 20, 1793 (Year II of the Republic). Important handwritten administrative letter, 2 folio pages, written on printed letterhead of the Municipality of Paris —Municipal Administration of Direct Taxes, dated Year II of the Republic (July 20, 1793) and addressed to the citizen president of the Section des Quinze-Vingts. This document concerns the implementation of the law of June 22, 1793, establishing the famous one-billion-franc compulsory loan, one of the major financial measures adopted by the National Convention to address the Republic’s war expenses and economic difficulties. The municipal administrators conveyed the provisions of this law to the section authorities and reminded them that citizens whose incomes exceeded the threshold set by law were required to subscribe to this exceptional loan. The letter emphasizes the urgency of the preparatory work and calls for the immediate implementation of the necessary formalities, particularly the preparation of income and expense statements used to determine each citizen’s contribution. This document provides a remarkable insight into the administrative organization of Paris during the Reign of Terror, at a time when the young Republic was mobilizing all its financial resources to support the war effort against the Coalition powers. Two folio-sized pages on laid paper bearing a letterhead engraved with the coat of arms of the City of Paris. Handwritten address to the president of the Section des Quinze-Vingts. Beautiful autograph signatures of the municipal administrators. Original folds, some foxing, and minor, insignificant old stains. Very good condition. Historical Context Passed on June 22, 1793, the law on the forced loan of one billion imposed an exceptional levy on the wealthiest citizens to finance the defense of the Republic, which was then facing internal insurrections and the war against the First Coalition. Its implementation relied on the municipalities and the Parisian sections, which served as the true agents of revolutionary power. Administrative documents relating to this measure are significantly less common than legislative prints and are of great interest for the history of the French Revolution and Parisian institutions.
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