Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Was maria theresa part of the french revolution?

Nope. She died in 1780, but her daughter, Marie Antoinette was executed in 1793. However, Maria Theresa policies that included France relationship with Austria fueled the economic crisis of the late 18th century Europe that lead to the outbreak of the revolution. Maria Theresa is often called enlightened monarch as she had tried to reform the monarchy toward the modern political and economical model. However, at the same time, she was extremely conservative and elitist, in which she tried to rise her children, Marie Antoinette included. During his reign she witnessed near collapse of the Austrian monarchy, she had not cared when 1/6 of her population died in the worst famine in 1772-1775 that followed by largest peasant uprising, nor she was unable to come with terms of religious tolerance and antisemitism. She also created system in Europe to keep Prussia in check and believed that French-Austrian alliance could accomplish that. It was however too costly and ineffective, it bankrupted the French treasury, and kept Prussia strong.

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