History of France

During that time, the economy of France was very poor, Marie Antoinette wore his lady fashion cloth and ate meals in front of public. Her life after married to Louis XVI became very luxurious, because the only thing she knew was spending money in her entertainments. Both of them spent money from government on their entertainments. They made the economy even worse when they wasted money. Instead of ruling the country, Louis XVI chose to spend money and have fun on his entertainment. When the citizens had no money to pay for their taxes, they were spending the money on their entertainment.

In 1755, Josèphe Jeanne Marie-Antoinette was born as the daughter of Empress Maria Theresa; the sovereign who ruled the Hapsburg-Lorraine House in Austria. As a princess and a member of the Hapsburg dynasty, she inherited good looks which earned her a title of “youthful goddess of beauty and virtue” upon her arrival in France. At her age of fourteen, her mother sent her off to faraway France to married Dauphin, later known as Louis XVI, in order to secure a diplomatic alliance through marriage with France, a former enemy of Austria. Initially, Marie Antoinette had charmed the French people with her delicate looks; however, as she became the queen, slanderous accusations piled continuously which eventually damaged her reputation and led to her death. Why the French people hated Marie-Antoinette so much and what are the sinful things she ‘did’ in order to earn their wrath? From the existing pamphlets published before the French Revolution up to Coppola’s film Marie Antoinette, the press demonized the once adored lady into a highly lascivious whore. Marie-Antoinette’s sexual abuse were caused by the public perception as a sexualized body, a hidden fear towards all publicly active women and the potential power of their bodies, in which they use their sexual advantages toward men to gain an access to political power.

While many people may be familiar with the story of the French Revolution and history of Marie Antoinette, they may not fully comprehend the lively debate that continues to exist around Marie Antoinette. A debate over how Marie Antoinette should be remembered exists, with some arguing that Antoinette was spoiled and careless and others taking the stance that Antoinette was a victim of her harsh circumstances. Before delving into this controversy, background knowledge of Marie Antoinette’s life can assist in understanding the controversy. In 1770 at the age of fourteen, Marie Antoinette, daughter of Austrian empress Maria Theresa, was married to Louis XVI of France to strengthen French and Austrian relations. In 1774, Louis XVI became king and Marie Antoinette became queen. Dissatisfaction toward Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and economic turmoil led the French Revolution to begin in 1789, with Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette eventually being guillotined in 1793 (Covington 56-65).

During 1789 and decades prior, peasants toil in the fields and reap the diminishing wheat stalks. Bound by the law set by the king, they suffered paying the nobility’s and clergy’s expenses with whatever income they had. When not in desperate poverty, the Third Estate would muster any energy to exert disdain to their king, indifferent behind palace walls. With Voltaire's and Rousseau's conceptions, commoners imagined a government where the nation was in potency, not the monarch. Yet, King Louis XVI taunts this bubbling tension by claiming these privileges were well-deserved, insinuating that his people were literal breadwinners, obligated to pay tribute. With high tax rates, a radical government where the people were free of ridicule circulated

Furthermore, the queen of the France, Marie Antoinette, overspends the money on herself. This is a quote from a letter that she wrote to her mom, “On Tuesday I had a fete which I shall never forget all my life (Doc.B)”. In this quote, she is telling her mother about the party that she had, and this shows how ignorance she is. She doesn’t pay attention to the issues that the citizens are going through, and because of the overspent, France goes through a difficult time. Marie Antoinette helped the French Revolution to grow larger and more dangerous.

Many people may argue that Marie Antoinette was the biggest factor for why France fell into a revolutionary state, however, Marie Antoinette was a queen victimized and forced to play role from a young age to satisfy the French people who disapproved. Marie Antoinette was falsely blamed for her actions when in fact it wasn’t her fault. Marie Antoinette was forced to accept a society where she had to learn new customs and traditions. She had to leave everything behind, consequently become something she isn’t. Her frustration and unhappiness with Versailles was no surprise. Marie Antoinette was frustrated by her marriage. At Versailles her husband-to-be, Louis Auguste had no interest in her. In the film, Marie Antoinette, the director clearly

In 1534 the French navigator and explorer Jacques Cartier entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence and took possession of New France for King Francis I.

Even though Marie Antoinette was all about royalty, she was more than just posing for the crown. Marie Antoinette's early life was pretty great. She was born on November 2nd 1755. Her parents were Maria Theresa and Francis I Holy Roman Emperor. Marie had 15 brothers and sisters, there names were unknown. She had 8 sisters and 7 brothers. Marie didn't really have any kind of education, she was homeschooled and wasn't smart either. She couldn't read or write either she was nearly illiterate. She was tutored by a old family friend, her name is unknown.

Marie Ationnette was born as the 15th child into the Austrian royal family in 1755. At the early age of 14, she was married off in 1770 to the dauphine of France, Louis. At 19 she became queen of France, becoming an embodiment of the ancien regime, eventually becoming the symbol of the excesses of the monarchy and their irresponsible spending, earning her the name of Madame deficit. Marie Ationnette was significant to the revolution, for her symbolism of lavish spending, her scandals, and her role in the march of the women provoked the people to overthrow the Monarchy. Marie Ationnette was best known for her extravagant spending, which ultimately earned her the name “Madame Deficit”. To entertain herself Marie would often go to parties, theatre,

Europe’s long history greatly affected the world’s structure today in a multitude of ways. How did countries such as England and France establish their borders along the continent? Modern boundaries affected the world in numerous ways. The extensive Hundred Years’ War raged from 1337 to 1453 and played a key role in solidifying borders in Europe (Hundred Years’ War np). Conflict over the throne of France ignited a bitter war between England and France when English kings claimed their right to the French throne (Curry 3). Several significant battles during the war included The Battle of Crecy, The Battle of Poitiers, The Battle of Agincourt, and The Battle of Castillon. Arise of new technology changed warfare such as the usage of cannons that

Aside from the economy, the society of Europe had become very unstable and went through some big changes. A common phenomenon along with all other widely spread disease is starvation. There was not enough manpower to harvest, so both rural and urban area suffered from food shortage, thus causing a serious inflation. For example, “in some parts of England, food prices went up by four times.” (The HLS) This put the poor in a very desperate situation. Meanwhile, the landlords didn’t show any sympathy for the peasants, they kept collecting tax and tried to lower the farmers’ salary. There was even a law published for the sake of lords’ interests. It confined peasants’ wages to the level in 1346, and prohibited peasants from going to villages other than his own master’s for “a better income” This caused a great indignation among the serfs and later lead to a revolt known as the Peasants Revolt. Thousands of peasants with their leader, Wat Tyler, marched to London to meet the king,

Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne de Habsbourg-Lorraine was born in the mid-eighteenth century as an archduchess and princess, to Maria Teresa, the Austrian Empress, at the very apex of the European hierarchal pyramid. She was an essential part to the oldest royal European house, as it became known that her sole duty in life was to unite the two great powers and long-term enemies of Austria-Hungary and France by marriage. She was brutally overthrown by her own starving people and portrayed to the world as a villain and abuser of power, whereas sympathy for the young queen should be shown.

The story of revolution and resistance in 18th-century France is a complicated one, and no two historians tell the story the same way. However, it is clear that for the revolutionaries, Marie Antoinette’s significance was mainly, powerfully symbolic. "She and the people around her seemed to represent everything that was wrong with the monarchy and the Second Estate: They appeared to be tone-deaf, out of touch, disloyal (along with her allegedly treasonous behavior, writers and pamphleteers frequently accused the queen of adultery) and self-interested"( Moore 17 ). What Marie Antoinette was actually like was beside the point; the image of the queen was far more influential than the woman herself.

The economy was affected by the Peasants’ Revolt in terms of supply and demand. In economics, it is crucial to take the quantity of goods that are desired and the amount that can be offered into consideration. Both, supply and demand are correlative and cannot succeed without each other. “Recognizing the power of ‘supply and demand’, the remaining peasants began to re-evaluate their worth and subsequently demanded higher wages and better working conditions” (Johnson). The labor shortage and the demands of being an unfree peasant influenced the Peasants’ Revolt immensely. There was a large amount of goods that needed to be harvested, but there were not enough workers to meet the demand. Farmers and laborers thereafter demanded

Brief Summary- Dr. Munro Price, Modern European Historian at the University of Bradford, wanted to find out the truth of what the true actions and feelings of the King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were in those years before the collapse. After being dragged back to Paris from Versailles, they were then held prisoner in the capital. Concerned for their own safety, the King and Queen forced to agree with the revolution and its agenda. However, in secret, they both began devising a strategy and took the utmost precautions to hide their real policy. The Road from Versailles reconstructs much of what had been speculated until now as to the King and Queen’s clandestine diplomacy from 1789 until their executions. Dr. Price focuses on a small portion of history that has generally been unknown to the public, but could hold the key to the final days of the Old Regime and the mindset of the King. This book could give insight into the economic and social status