How successful was Louis in overcoming the problems he inherited in the period 1816-1820

        In addition, externally Louis XVIII aided his ally in Spain to free the King Ferdinand VII from the control of liberal politicians who had forced him to restore a constitution. The French army were victorious in weeks. Even though the people of France preferred peace to war, France managed to restore a despotic ruler so that they would not be threatened in the future. This means that this was a successful decision for French security and the correct choice for the Country by the bourbon King. He managed to protect the entire French public’s security.

        Nevertheless, politically Louis XVIII achieved his greatest decision by convincing the pays legal that he intended to make the Charter of 1814 a working reality. He did this by proving his belief in it as providing the basis of political life in France in the future. However, in contrast to the economy and the war with Spain the countries opinion is differentiated on the subject. The ultras wanted to undermine the Charter. This is an example of the difficulties faced by the king because it was impossible to keep all members of society content in politics. The new chamber in King Louis XVIII reign also tackled the question of the electoral regime, which the Chambre Introuvable had failed to solve. The laws of February 5th 1817, March 25th 1818 confirmed the provisions of the Charter which stipulated that the vote should be for men over thirty who paid 300 francs indirect taxes and that only men of forty or more who paid 1,000 francs should be eligible as deputies. This increase in electorate caused many ultras to be weary of the liberal ideas which were put forward by Decazes and King Louis VIII which meant any possible controversy could cause possible outrage. This was what indeed happened when duc de Berry was assassinated and liberal policies were made to blame for it. Therefore, Louis had successes politically however these could easily lead to his downfall as they satisfy certain groups of the French republic leaving other people discontent waiting for something to go wrong. This shows flaws in King Louis XVIII middle path idea as he can easily be scrutinised for his actions.

        Finally, socially the King appeared to be very liberal in his approach in the years 1816 to 1820. France had a liberal conscription system because of the Law Gouvion St. Cyr of 1818 where levels of soldiers did not exceed forty thousand men. This law brought about the principle of a small professional army. In the press, the laws of 1819 were liberal at the time. Newspapers were therefore reserved for all who were able to vote and presumed to be educated. Decazes and King Louis XVIII also abolished censorship. This liberal attitude benefited the middle classes of the French society however the ultras including Richelieu wanted a revision of the electoral law and rapprochement with the Ultras. This is one other example of the apparent successes of the liberal approach which Louis adopted. However, this only causes governments and the public to be torn in two directions while the king remains in the middle of the problem which means he leaves himself isolated and open to criticism when a problem arises.

        In conclusion, Louis XVIII was successful in dealing with economic and external problems because this did not affect any different factions; it was a benefit for the whole nation. Nevertheless, politically and socially it was impossible to overcome these problems entirely because there were many separate groups who shared distinct opinions. This was impossible for all appease to be appeased so it was impossible to completely overcome the problem.