What Is Women's Role In The French Revolution

Improved Essays
The French Revolution began similarly to the other revolutions of the West at the end of the 18th century. Certain aspects that sparked the revolution can be explained why it was the most violent and universally significant revolution, that transformed politics, religion, and society as a whole. The social structure of the West was weak and began to deteriorate day-by-day. At a vulnerable time, the wealthy commoners, referred to as the bourgeoisie, aspired to political power in countries that they did not already seize it. Before the revolution, the individual had very little power, if any at all. Women were deemed property to their male counterparts, and were not allowed to participate in any public or politically concerned events. “By and large, women were legally totally subservient to their …show more content…
They presented their beliefs and desires at political movements, assisted in war efforts, and crafted letters and petitions about government policies and women’s lack of equality in the social sphere. Although, women did not achieve the outcome they desired, they certainly voiced their opinions to the public and made their presence known during the revolution. Despite education, wealth, inheritance or any other factors that construct societal hierarchy, women gathered to ensure a consolidated voice was heard that supported women’s emancipation. Regardless of their lack of success, their involvement in the Revolution made women conscious of their status in society. At the end of the decade of revolution, a well-known writer, Constance Pipelet, presented her views on the impact the revolution had on women. “She argued that the Republic should justify itself by offering women more education and more opportunities. Her writing shows that women’s demands had been heard and that even if they had gone underground, they had not been

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The first of many reasons why the French Revolution began had to do with the many ideas that came about from the Enlightenment and those that believed in these thought processes. For example, the colonists in the successful American Revolution believed in the Enlightenment idea that all men are created equal and have inherent rights. Middle class citizens communicated their feelings towards the First and Second Estates, but ended up not having their feeling taken into account because the Second Estate got angry with King Louis and he then went back on what he had promised. This initiated the middle class to become “sensitive to their inferior legal position” (Doc. 4). Instead of requiring the First and Second Estates to pay more taxes…

    • 282 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Females had very few to almost no rights at all. They were not allowed to vote, serve on juries and purchase or sell property. Berkin informs the reader on how the laws of this time mostly protected the rights of men and poorly protects the rights of these women. She states “In its most pristine and extreme interpretation, the law denied married women the rights to make judgments regarding their own economic circumstances. It muted their voice in courts, restricted their accumulation and disbursement of material wealth, and made them less than responsible for their accumulation and disbursement of material wealth, and made them less than responsible for their misdeeds or achievements in the public sphere.…

    • 1148 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The French Revolution was divided into three social classes the clergy (first estate), the nobles (second estate) and the peasants (third estate). The upper class (the clergy and the nobles) raised the tax prices on the third estate but they didn’t have to pay taxes. They also raised the price of bread which made most of the peasants starve and they would fight over the loaves of bread. But later the third estate creates something known as the National Assembly and they created the Declaration of the Rights of Man which changed many things. There were many things that caused the French Revolution but the main reasons are the inequalities between the social classes, The Enlightenment, and the American example.…

    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Since the nation was in conflicted with the issues of slavery and racism, part of a woman’s role in society was predestined to fight for their rights, not to be excluded and to be able to be part of the society. Also, Anna Julia was an activist that fought for the rights of women to be recognized as part of society. The author emphasized, that since the time the nation had a declaration of Independence. The writer further went on to say how women was not part of the human race because they were excluded from the right to vote. As well, women were never elected to be part of any public administration.…

    • 138 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Even if women could have had an opportunity for a profitable position, there was also an educational barrier to overcome since the “colleges were closed against her.” There was a very large discrepancy between genders from an economic standard. Women had limited educational opportunities, which minimized possible hopes of profitable job opportunities, which made it hard to support oneself, even if a man not having control of ones wages was an option. It was a cruel and patriarchal norm that men, the government, and the society did not seem to shed any light…

    • 578 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    This document had brought attention to her cause, not only by the government, but the public as well. During this pre-civil war time, women’s opinions were often shot down by the men in power.…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    When reviewing the history of the Early Republic, the roles and actions of men are noted as being the key influential figures for the time period. When taking a deeper look into the sociocultural issues of the Early Republic, there were a number of women who argued for furthering the rights and pushing for some aspect of equality for females. While complete gender equality may have seem nearly incomprehensible to most due to the social constraints and traditions of the time, women like Judith Sargent Murray assisted in advocating for the rights of women by laying the foundational stepping stones for feminism in the United States. During her time, the world had undergone massive changes in challenging the traditional order, and the issues…

    • 1657 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Timeline of three primary revolutions: American Revolution: 1756-1763: The Seven Years’ War 1764: Sugar Act 1765: Stamp Act & Quartering Act 1767: Townshend Act 1773:…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    As stated, women started to loss liberty and if did had a part in the society, it was not as high as men. In to conclusion, their roles were different than men, liberty, and status to…

    • 101 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Natural Rights of Women during Revolutionary America Although the colonists won against the British in the Revolutionary War, the win didn’t solve the problem of inequality towards women in America. Victory allowed America to become its own country separated from England, and gave the privilege of forming its own government; but this newfound freedom seemed to be aimed more towards the men of the country. “For many women the Revolution had been a strongly politicizing experience, but the newly created republic made little room for them as political being.” During revolutionary America, women were continually being viewed as the stereotypical housewife that is to keep house and home in a suitable manner for her husband and her family. She…

    • 1801 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    People usually remember the American Revolution as an American win but women, African Americans, and Europeans also helped out. Women, African Americans, and Europeans played many significant roles throughout the American Revolution. Foremost, one group that played a huge role in the war were women. Even though women were in low positions in the social classes, they participated in many things.…

    • 331 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Revolutions are seen by many as an inevitable part of many societies. They allow both the people and societies to progress and advance. One of these revolutions was the French Revolution, which led to the downfall of monarchies in other parts of Europe. The French Revolution began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s. The revolution began with people wanting small reforms, such as changes to the system of taxation; leading to a complete change, transforming every aspect of French citizen’s lives, including for a short time, calendars and clocks.…

    • 1138 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Reign of Terror: Was it Justified? The French Revolution was an important movement in world history. It marked the first time that the lowest class in a country had overthrown the highest class. In France, the Third Estate had decided that they had had enough of unfair taxes and inequality, and so they wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man and forced the king at the time, Louis XVI, to share power with the National Assembly.…

    • 1097 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Women wanting their independence under any circumstances, but within what they believe is proper for their private families as well as their country and race (Herland, Ch.8). The women were unlike anything the men have ever saw: they were strong and self-confident, intelligent, and more importantly, unafraid of men. These women were also fast like marathon winners, something the men never have never encountered (Herland, Ch.3). This had blended the role for women’s political opinions that had expanded during the Progressive Era. There were many reformers that were middle and upper class women, this meant that the growing economy as well as the expansion of…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Throughout history, the expectations and duties of women have evolved immensely. In some societies women have been confined to the four walls of their homes, and in others women have stood as the heads of government. The role of women in the French Revolution is a complicated one, and it may seem as though these females carried out a multitude of functions. Indeed, women during this era engaged in a diverse array of activities and movements, ranging from dressing in patriotic garb, to writing political documents, to stabbing their enemies to death. However, all of the individual actions taken by these women point toward one primary goal: to use whatever means possible to contribute their ideas to the Revolution.…

    • 1314 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays