Here are some of the reforms of Louis XVI, made of his own free will beginning from the moment he ascended the throne. He was considered quite the Liberal in OTL.
- 1774 Louis XVI placed Turgot in charge of finances and introduced free circulation of grain. Founded School of Medicine in Paris.
- 1775 D
roits d'octroi were reduced, prison reform begun, and the death penalty for deserters was abolished.
- 1776 The king signed the six edicts of Turgot comprising the abolition of the
corvee. The
parlements resisted the edicts, preventing them from becoming law. In the same year he reduced his household.
- 1778 More taxes reduced.
- 1779 The king abolished servitude and other reforms were made.
- 1780 Further reductions in the Royal household were made, hospital reform was begun, prison reform continued, most torture was abolished.
- 1784 Relief given to Jews.
- 1786 More hospital reform, aid to the deaf, and provisions made for lost children.
- 1787 Steps taken towards the total abolition of the corvee, more reductions in royal household, civil rights accorded to Jews and Protestants.
- 1
788 All forms of torture were abolished, greater freedom given to press, steps towards abolition of
lettres de cachet.
Anyone who thinks Louis XVI was a lazy, sluggish, do-nothing king need only examine the six volumes of laws passed during his reign. He wanted to reform the feudal tax system, which is why he called the Estates-General. If all the nobles and wealthy clergy had been minimally taxed, there would have been no deficit.
POD : King Louis XVI of France stays in power (read my other posts) under a constitutional monarchy system. After understanding that the Parisian Uprising was shadowly led by the Bourgeois and a part of the nobility (hi cousin), he decided to help the poor and peasants on the advice of his advisors, including former revolutionaries like Abbé Sièyes or Le Chapelier.
King Louis XVI chooses to gradually develop a basic "social welfare" system with the help of the church. His son Louis XVII will continue his legacy without it.
France welfare system around 1820 :
- end of unfair taxes and social privilegies (as Louis XVI did in OTL) - 1789
- creation of national stockpiles for food supplies - 1789
- bread price controls - 1789
- pensions for veterans and workers of the royal and national manufactures/factories. - 1790
- creation of national lawyers who work free of charge for the poor. - 1791
- poor relief (bureaux de bienfaisance) - 1791
- national poor houses - 1791
- public hospitals and schools - 1791
- child benefits to increase the kingdom population -1795
- public universities and Grandes écoles - 1800
- social contributions - 1800
- national labor unions controlled by the state - 1820
694 pages in French on social welfare from 1789 Revolution to Napoleon
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01226867/document