History of France

2324 Words Feb 3rd, 2018 9 Pages
The peasants, which made up about 90% of the population at the time, were treated unfairly and began to feel frustrated and upset with the Monarchy. At the time, Marie Antoinette was distrusted because of her foreign birth and many of the peasants saw her as the source of their problems and disliked her. She was often seen in the past as a bad Queen due to her careless spending and seemingly frivolous lifestyle, now with more evidence and sources, opinions have shifted. Many see Marie Antoinette as a victim of her own circumstances, as it can be seen by the state of affairs in France before her arrival, her upbringing and public opinion before her death during the French Revolution. This essay will illustrate that Marie Antoinette was indeed a victim of her circumstances.

The time before the Revolution was hard for peasants as they were taxed heavily, “The peasant, the farmer, the townsman, from their scanty purses were drawn the large sums required.” The King and all the nobles “used their power badly”. Peasants paid their taxes “in coin, in kind, and in labour”, therefore they paid lots of money “to cover the value of the holding”, then had to send food such as “corn”, “butter”, etc. to the “big house”, and then he had to act as a workman for the noble (his master) doing things such as mending “the roads of his master”, “cart…

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