The Execution of Louis XVI and Mary Antoinette

Paper Summary:

This paper is an historical study of The French Revolution. It discusses the situation in France before the outbreak of the revolution. It details the execution of King Louis XVI and his mistakes that led to it. It studies the failed political system at the time as one of the causes of the revolution. Finally, it also gives a detailed examination of Mary Antoinette's role at the time and why she was executed.

From the Paper:

"The prevailing theory of Divine right of Kings was the philosophy behind monarchy. Earlier, Louis XIV had used the absolute power of monarchy to the extreme. King was God's representative on earth, and he alone could possess and exercise earthly power. He was always right because he represented and was the incarnation, so to say, of his people.
By the eve of the French Revolution, however, few intellectuals and political leaders accepted idea of the King's divine right. The situation was compounded by Louis XVI's weakness as an absolute monarch, though many supported monarchy in the interest of maintaining law and order and continuation of the national tradition. Louis XVI saw himself as the best judge of the people's good and he tried to do right by them, at least in his own opinion.(<http://www.angelfire.com/ca6/ French revolution 89/bar11.gif>) But to the majority of the people, the King was supposed to be like a father, kind and benevolent. 97% of the population, who were peasants, were fierce monarchists."

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