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The Sun King: State Control Of Culture

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The Sun King: State Control Of Culture
Document C Source: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/bnf/bnf0005.html Recognizing that political power lay in cultural superiority, and assisted by his minister, Colbert (Controller-General of the Finances, 1662-1683), Louis XIV (1643-1715) proposed an all-encompassing cultural program designed to glorify the monarchy in his person. Fueled by state patronage, this cultural initiative channeled the creative forces of French elite culture into academies, luxury goods, industries, technology, engineering projects, and imperial expansion. State control of culture reached unprecedented heights under Louis XIV, the Sun King (le Roi Soleil). As the Sun King's reign passed into its twilight years, some judged the social stability and routine he had
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