ferme generale (English spelling) ferme generale

In the 17th century, tax collectors were called traitants or partisans (contractors), and were the targets of people's resentment and contempt, emphasizing their low social status. In reality, however, they rose in social standing through the purchase of government posts and marriages with nobles, and gradually merged and became one with the ruling class. At the same time, under Colbert, attempts were made to integrate the various small contracts, which later bore fruit in the establishment of the general tax collectors (1726), which became a stronghold of money-handling capital under the absolute monarchy, realizing huge loans and settlement and financing using contractors' bills, and most of the general tax collectors (fermiers généraux) acquired nobility and solidified their social status. However, reliance on this system led to the accumulation of national debt and worsened the national finances, and taxpayers' anger at the contractors' harsh collections was expressed in frequent anti-tax protests, with cries of "Long live the King without contractors!"

*Some of the terminology that mentions "ferme générale" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…　17世紀に徴税請負人は，トレタンtraitant，パルチザンpartisan(契約人)の俗称で呼ばれ，人々の怨嗟（えんさ）と蔑視（べつし）の的になり，その社会的地位の低さが強調されていたが，実際は，官職購入，貴族との婚姻を通じて社会的上昇を遂げており，しだいに支配層と融合･一体化していった。同時に，コルベールの下で群小の請負の統合が試みられ，この試みは後に総括徴税請負ferme généraleの確立となって結実し(1726)，絶対王政下の貨幣取扱資本の牙城となり，巨額の貸付けと請負人手形を用いた決済･融資を実現し，総括徴税請負人fermiers générauxのほとんどは貴族身分を取得して社会的地位も確固たるものになった。しかし，この制度への依存は国家債務を累積させて財政を悪化させ，請負人の厳しい徴収に対する納税者の怒りは，頻発した反租税運動のつど，〈請負人なしの国王万才！〉の叫びとなって現れた。…

※「ferme générale」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

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