This study of the first half of the reign of Louis XV considers the nature of politics in the ancient regime. Researched from primary sources, it offers a comprehensive analysis of the neglected ministries of the Duc de Bourbon and Cardinal de Fleury. Part one examines the court, policy and faction, while part two considers the crises provoked by Jansenism and the Paris Parliament. Campbell's discussion of the methods and practices of political management in this period of successful government should provoke debate and shed light on the crisis of the old regime in the 1780s.