Marie Antoinette, originally from Austria, was considered among the causes of the French revolution in the 1700’s. To some, she was just a victim of circumstances, a devoted mother more than a political figure. Marie Antoinette assumed the mantle of queen of France in 1774, and was the subject of disdain among the citizens of France. They labelled her the Austrian woman who did not have the French interests at heart. There were claims that she was harbouring sympathies for some of the region’s enemies, especially her original home (Cronin 1989). It was this hatred and anger that caused the people to associate her with some of the scandals that rocked the region. This paper will examine one aspect of the French Revolution, and how it impacted the nature of the crisis.
At the beginning of the French Revolution, the royal family decided to flee and this led to the decline of their popularity. This is one aspect that propelled the fight against the monarchical rule in the region. The rise of the revolution in the region may have sparked off a fire in the European empires as this was seen as the turning point for the lives of many people under this type of rule. Marie Antoinette’s position as queen was often undermined because of one reason, which was her relationship with the Austrian country (Fraser 2001). The king’s political advisors opted to keep the queen out of the loop when it came to political issues. This made Marie Antoinette indulge in a number of activities just to keep busy.
Among the habits she developed was gambling, which made her place bets on horses. She was also into playing cards. She was involved in the purchasing of clothes just to get distracted from the political tension, which was bubbling throughout her tenure. There were personal attacks toward the queen, which were centred on the impotency of the king because the two did not have any offspring to show for their union. Her perceived extravagant life was met with more anger and disapproval from her subjects, who at the time were divided into classes. This was common in many regions during that period (Fraser 2001).
In conclusion, this is what might have led to the revolution in France as they advocated for the rights of man. They did this through advocating for the equal distribution of wealth and resources in the region, and the elimination of the monarchical system of governance. The financial crisis made it even more difficult for her to gain popularity among the citizens of France, allowing the resentment to foster among them. This was the prelude to the revolution that marked a crucial part in history. The monarchy’s ineffectiveness and unpopularity made it harder for them to suppress the calls for more rights (Evelyne 2006). The king and queen were tried and executed according to how the people saw fit. Marie Antoinette was executed after her husband, after rumours about her were used to justify her execution.
References
Cronin, V 1989, Louis and Antoinette, The Harvill Press, London.
Evelyne, L 2006, Marie Antoinette: the last queen of France, Portrait, London.
Fraser, A 2001, Marie Antoinette, (1st ed.), Free Press, New York.
