In 18th Century France, the church and the nobility were not taxed. The burden of taxation was on the bourgeoisie, the laborers, and the small farmers. As the court became more extravagant and the government more costly, the taxpayers became more dissatisfied. Eventually the anger grew to the point of revolution, a revolution that often was mob rule*. Mob rule led to false accusations, and heads rolled.
Even the Tea Partiers of the day, like Robespierre, were not immune to the anger of the mob and to infighting among those who assumed control of the government.
We may see a parallel in the flood-ravaged parts of Pakistan. The government is not very effective in bringing relief, partly because of so much posturing for power and partly because there is not enough money to do much of what needs to be done. Oh yes, many of the rich in Pakistan pay little or no taxes.
This situation is providing a huge opening to the Taliban, which is providing relief in some areas. How much this will increase the overall power of the Taliban remains to be seen. Remember though, many revolutions were started by small bands, Mao Tse Tung or Fidel Castro.
* Mob rule was one of the things that Founders of the United States feared greatly. Their distaste for mob rule led them to distrust French innovations, such as the metric system.
