Question

use the timeline to answer the question.

• 1655: king louis xiv of france reportedly declares to the parlement of paris, \létat, cest moi,\ meaning, \i am the state.\
• 1667 - 1714: louis xiv engages in five major wars that define frances boundaries and solidify it as a catholic state controlled by an absolute monarchy.
• 1789: during the french revolution, the national assembly agrees to the declaration of the rights of man and citizen and declares, \the principle of all sovereignty freedom resides essentially in the nation. no body nor individual may exercise any authority which does not proceed directly from the nation.\
• 1791: the new french constitution declares, \the national assembly... abolishes... the institutions which were injurious harmful to liberty and equality, and requires elected officials to take an oath of fidelity to the nation.\

according to the information on the timeline, what change did france undergo from 1655 to 1791?
a. france became a kingdom ruled by a tyrant instead of a state governed by elected representatives.
b. france became a nation ruled by the people instead of a state governed by an absolute monarch.
c. france became an empire governed by a dictator instead of a nation ruled by the corrupt nobility.
d. france became a state administered by the elite instead of a nation governed by an assembly.

Explanation:

The question is about the political transformation of France from 1655 to 1791. Before the French Revolution, France was an absolute monarchy (as indicated by Louis XIV's statement "L'état, c'est moi"). The 1791 Constitution abolished institutions injurious to liberty and equality and declared sovereignty resides in the nation. This shows a shift from a state governed by an absolute monarch to a nation ruled by the people.

Answer:

B. France became a nation ruled by the people instead of a state governed by an absolute monarch.