Constraints On The Executive. A Reappraisal Of The French And English Old Regimes Through Parliamentary Activities

Abstract: We show that the constraints on the executive were higher in Old Regime France than in England. The French executive had to deal with local Parliaments registering its decisions. From an early similar level at the end of the 17th century, legislation registered in Westminster gradually increased compared to Toulouse, with much more acts about economy, transport, and alterations to property rights. In the event of war, the French executive remained unable to register more fiscal Acts nor increase its revenues. The opposite is observed in England.