“The Diamond Necklace Affair” provided fodder for the hungry journalists who were eager to portray Marie Antoinette as selfish and corrupt. Her reputation was permanently destroyed in the eyes of the people. Severe poverty, hunger and heavy taxes contributed to the citizens’ unrest. The American Revolution of independence and democracy inspired the French citizens to want the same for themselves; they no longer wanted the oppression of monarchy. When Louis XVI convened the Estates-General meeting, Marie Antoinette rode around the streets of Versailles in her carriage to welcome the members. The crowd glared abhorrently at her. In a sermon at the Church of Saint Louis, the Bishop of Nancy protested that the Queen’s spending was the cause of …show more content…
This event marked the beginning of the French Revolution; the people had had enough of the monarchy. Although Louis XVI had a chance to quell the rebellion with force, he was afraid to face conflict and failed to stop the masses (Brown 4). During the raiding of Bastille, the whole royal family was forced to move to Paris, and lived under the careful watch of the National Guard. They were not locked in, and could have left secretly had they chosen to do so. However, Louis was unable to act; if anything, Marie Antoinette was the more decisive on out of the two. As Antonia Fraser observed, “she was decisive where he was indecisive, and she was courageous when he was vacillating.”(Covington) She pleaded to other European sovereigns to invade France and help them, but no other nation wanted to get involved. The King, Queen, and their children were held captive for about two and a half years until 1791, when Hans Axel von Fersen arranged the family’s escape. The King’s indecisiveness played a big role in the failure of the escape. The plan was to flee to the town of Montmedy. Initially, the plan was to make the trip in two carriages to not arouse unwanted suspicion. However, the Queen wished for the whole family to travel together, and Louis could not reject her request
The French Revolution was a drastic time for the people of France. In 1789, the majority of people were living in poverty and dealing with terrible conditions. People were split into three estates: the first, second, and third, the first being the wealthiest. Political, economic, and social situations were what contributed to people’s desire for change. The three main, or biggest causes of the French Revolution, were taxes, inequality, and lack of reform.
She decided that she would rather be taken by the “ravenous beasts” than have her life taken from her showing that the women aren’t as strong as the men
There is one Jesus Christ,' she once said. ' The rest is a dispute over trifles.'" (Britannica School, Elizabeth I) Despite being a Catholic herself in the belief of God, many Catholics were still persecuted and some were executed under her reign. In 1570 because of these actions Pope Pius V eventually excommunicated her.
King Louis XVI, who was the ruler at the time, was a main contributor to these problems that led France to its downfall. The country had a massive lack of resources and food, which led King Louis XVI to borrow more money than he could afford, thus putting the country in immense debt. Despite the very visible crisis overthrowing the country, the king was incapable of accepting his mistakes and refused to change his ways. He maintained the unjust voting system, known as the Estates-General, and worsened the taxing system in order to pay off his debts. The people, especially those of the Third Estate, were clearly angry and dissatisfied with the state of the country, which led them seek out a movement for what was right.
Background Information on the Enlightenment: In the year of 1791, The French and Haitian Revolution coexisted simultaneously. France was trying to pick up the pieces of a country left in shambles, while across the hemisphere, Haiti was about to ignite the fire. In France, they were in the process of creating a new government, in which all citizens would have equal rights, as based on the Declaration of the Rights of Man. In Haiti, a shocked oppressed populace was discovering the power that was held by the Declaration of the Rights of Man and was keen to set their own revolution.
In France, the people wanted revenge against the oppressive leadership and luxurious lifestyles of the rich in society. Upon finding out that the aristocrats have lost their property, they decide to take action by invading one of France’s most tightly guarded prisons, the Bastille.
The people of France tried to resolve issues peacefully but the king cared only about his power and acted at the expense of the citizens. According to the French Revolution portion of the Encyclopedia Britannica Online, the bourgeoisie wanted to have political power and the peasants did not want the feudal system to continue (French Revolution 2). A large meeting was held to discuss and solve issues, but, “rumors of an ‘aristocratic conspiracy’ by the king and the privileged to overthrow the Third Estate led to the Great Fear of July 1789.” (French Revolution 2). With the king of France being unwilling to actually resolve any conflicts, the only choice that was left was to overthrow the government as a whole and rebuild it into being a more fair and just system.
The increased civil unrest culminated in the Legislative Assembly voting to abolish the monarchy in Revolutionary France. The current king, King Louis and his queen, Marie Antoinette were imprisoned in 1792 and eventually sent to the guillotine after being
In 1789, France was precariously balanced on the edge of chaos. King Louis XVI was ruling monarch of France. King Louis’ youth depicted him as reckless, thoughtless, and unwise. A series of bad financial and political decisions, lead to his unpopularity among the people of France. King Louis was young, distracted and misguided.
The citizens of France started to starve and protested against Marie for using the money belonging to the country for personal items. This is when she said,”Let them eat cake,” for little did she know that she was one of the only wealthy people in the whole country. On July 14, 1789, 900 French citizens stormed the Bastille prison to take arms and ammunition marking the beginning of the French Revolution. On October 6 of the same year, a mob of Parisian women protesting the high cost of bread and other goods marched to the castle and drug the entire royal family into the city and imprisoned them in Tuileries.
Queen Elizabeth was in the center of a romantic scandal leaving her the only queen who never married. She also was found responsible for the killing of Mary Queen of Scots, and the enemy was not too happy about that either. It was clear that a lot of people were unsure of her and she used the speech to bring everyone in together and to ultimately unify her kingdom. With the use of imagery, pathos, and diction she motivates and inspires the troops as well as establishing herself as the Queen of England.
In The Family Romance of the French Revolution, Lynn Hunt examines the significance of the family and politics in relation to the French Revolution. Looking at ideas of romance that transferred over into family life, Hunt is able to investigate a shift in ideology that played a part in precipitating the French Revolution. Lynn Hunt attempts to make an intervention in the historical literature of the cultural history of the French Revolution. Lynn Hunt is a historian of the French Revolution and Professor of History at University of California at Los Angeles. More broadly, Hunt is interested in the changing of ideas and political spheres in 18th century Europe.
Elizabeth clearly lets them know she will not abandon them. The fight was not theirs alone, but her’s as well. Painting pictures of the most intense of situations, but even then she would be with them. Igniting the spirits of her army and making it an honor to fight alongside her. Queen Elizabeth’s speech at the town of Tilbury was truly motivating.
In the French Revolution the storming of the Bastille was one of the key events that revolved around political issues. On 14 July 1789, furious revolutionaries had stormed the Bastille. In fact, it was not only a source to make a statement in opposition to the Monarchy, but also the mob gained weapons that were stored in the prison. The mob, including a few of the King 's soldiers, stormed the Bastille. After a while, prisoners were set free.
Human nature causes people to desire more than what one already has. However, after desiring material items, people realize the foolishness in their greed. In “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, Mathilde Loisel, who lives in France during the 1880s, attempts to transform her ordinary life into one of luxury. She attends a reception with her friend Madame Forestier's diamond necklace, but after losing it, she works to buy a new necklace, only to later discover the necklace she lost is fake. Through this experience, Mathilde learns to be content with what she has, and as a result, she realizes the flaws in her character.