Constraints on the Executive : A Reappraisal of the French and English Old Regimes through Parliamentary Activities

We show that the constraints on the executive were actually higher in Old Regime France than in England. The French executive had to deal with voting in provincial Etats, and the Cours des aides controlling, taxation and with provincial Parliaments registering its decisions. From a similar initial figure at the end of the 17th century, the number of Acts registered in Westminster gradually increased compared to Toulouse, with much more legislation about trade, infrastructure and alterations to property rights. In the event of war, the French executive was unable to increase the number of fiscal Acts and these Acts did not increase the state revenue. The opposite is observed in England