Why was Marie Antoinette unpopular with the French people?

Answer 1

She was Austrian, a country that France had been in war with for years. The French did not want a foreigner on the throne, especially not an Austrian. Also, even before she came to France, the revolution was already smouldering because of the financial disasters of Louis XV which he did to the national treasury. France was already almost bankrupt when Marie Antoinette stepped in the picture, and because the French needed someone to blame it all on, and she was Austrian, she was the perfect victim. The people tried to make all of France believe that she had no concern for her people, spending money on wigs and dresses and throwing wild parties while the population was starving and desperate. The people did believe it, although she was completely innocent and killed her and her husband, destroying the whole French monarchy and the French credibility all around the world for as far as the French had that anyway.

Answer 2

She wasn't. She was Austrian, a country that France had been in war with for years. The French did not want a foreigner on the throne, especially not an Austrian. Also, even before she came to France, the revolution was already smuldering because of the financial disasters of Louis XV which he did to the national treasury. France was already almost bankrupt when Marie ZAntoinette stepped in the picture, and because the French needed someone to blame it all on, and she was Austrian, she was the perfect victim. The people tried to make all of France believe that she had no concern for her people, spending money on wigs and dresses and throwing wild parties while the population was starving and desperate. The people did believe it, although she was completely innocent and killed her and her husband, destroying the whole French monarchy and the French credibility all around the world for as far as the French had that anyway.

Answer 3

I wouldn't call it bad, but she was quite ignorant about money and the country she was Queen of. She was born an Archduchess in Austria and was raised with the idea that her status as being so, was a natural and obvious one. Her mother and governesses always reminded her that she was of high birth and that great thing lay ahead of her because of her birth. When she married Louis XVI, she thought that was only the right, natural thing and did not know very much about the country she was the future queen of.

Also, in her childhood, nobody taught her about money. There was always enough of it. So when she was (future) queen, she did not know about the financial crisis France was really in. This is also the fault of ministers of finance who did not dare to tell the truth about the more then empty treasury. Also, she did not know about the many poor people, the bourgeoisie and how they had to struggle to keep their bellies filled. She did eventually learn all this, but by the time she got wise, it was too late...
Marie Antionette's brother, who was king of austria, once said "Together the king and queen are a couple of nincompoops."

Answer 4

She was born an Austrian, which was not a great birthright for a French Queen.

Answer 5

She was never a villain!