Not that hard really… besides the money spent on bankrolling the AmRev, the French Crown had a rep for wasteful spending. Versailles which had started out as a hunting lodge (rather plush but a lodge none-the-less) becomes, in reality, a advert for the craftsmanship of the French workers that designed and built it. To show just what the peasants and lower middle class were saddled with I used to use a simulation game from a group called History Alive (c). After some factual groundwork the class was divided up by Estate, alone with a King, Queen, and Controller General; the majority being Third Estate…First thing was to produce food; the peasant made food coupons, while their manor lord encouraged them. The Clergy wander about the room blessing the peasants and wencouraging them also. The Nobles (K,Q&C-G) sit in front and visit... occasionally adding a bit of encouragement as well. The kids know there will need to be 20 coupons per each to survive the winter.The strategy varies widely among a group of 10th graders, as you can imagine, but most play along as this is an experiential activity they aren't accustomed too. Those that buy in really learn the lesson... those that don't are left behind ( :o).Next step (2nd day) is count and divide the food. Some questions arise when people (absent the day before) are added to a group and others have fewer (absent today). Fairness is questioned but population varies with births and deaths. Grumbles aside the count is concluded and most think they are in...Next step; Church takes 10% off top, Crown 50% of the remaining, Manor Lord 50% of remaining... now we divide by # of peasants. At least one group is toast at this point. One or two groups are gloating since the have managed to keep 20-25 coupons each. Oh by the way... bad crop year prices double with inflation... you need 40 to survive.After the hissing and moaning stops there is usually one group that survives, barely. Like I said if they were playing along they get the idea. Also when you tie this to the exercise (extension of this one) on the meeting of the Estates-General they are as ready to revolt as if they were there themselves.One of those things that doesn't look like teaching to some but gets more results that lots of other ploys.

Most excellent--I never thought of this whilst teaching it.

Just one of many from TCI; Teachers' Curriculum Institute.

I heard differently–but I shall check–you may well be right–I am learning to live with incipient mental decrepitude.

Scout–I got lucky:Another such account had it that at another such encounter Khrushchev shook Zhou?s hand, then pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his hands. Zhou then pulled out his handkerchief, wiped his hands, and put the handkerchief in the nearest wastebasket.[12] This is especially interesting since apparently Richard Nixon told a similar story. He recalled that in 1954 Undersecretary of State, Walter B. Smith did not want to "break... discipline" but also did not want to slight the Chinese blatantly. Therefore, Smith held a cup of coffee in his right hand when shaking hands with Zhou. Zhou took out a white handkerchief, wiped his hand and threw the handkerchief into the garbage.When asked for his assessment of the 1789 French Revolution, he is remembered for saying, "It is too early to say."[13].WillyD