Wadhawan
The French Revolution was time of "liberty, equality, and fraternity." For the women of France, however, these ideologies were extremely ambiguous. Among many other limitations, women were allowed education only in the home, they could not sit in on juries, and marriage and divorce laws were extremely unfair. Legally and socially, women were inferior to men. The Revolution gave women the opportunity to evolve from subjects into participating citizens.
From the very beginning of the Revolution, women were present at the new political centers of communication in France (Landes 106). In August and September of 1789, the women began participating in daily processions of thanksgiving to St. Genevieve, patron saint of Paris (Berkin/Lovett 13). The women were neither protesting nor petitioning, however, they began to recruit members of the National Guard to accompany them. They were serious about making their organized physical presence felt. They began marching to the drumbeat of the guardsmen and asserting their right as women to participate in public affairs.
On October 5, 1789, a riot began. The women gathered in large numbers at the Hotel de Ville to complain about the high bread prices and the shortage of food. They publicly said that "men didn't understand anything about the matter and that they wanted to play a role in affairs" (Landes 109). The rioting women turned into an angry mob. With shouts of "To Versailles!" they began to march twelve miles in the rain to force the king to hear their complaints. Although rather loosely organized, the women armed themselves and conquered in their demands for bread. They also conquered a king for Paris. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were seized and forced back to Paris at knife point.
In 1791, women were starting to institute their own political societies. They petitioned, marched and demonstrated, attended meetings, formed deputations, and persuaded or coerced political authorities to give in to their wishes
From the very beginning of the Revolution, women were present at the new political centers of communication in France (Landes 106). In August and September of 1789, the women began participating in daily processions of thanksgiving to St. Genevieve, patron saint of Paris (Berkin/Lovett 13). The women were neither protesting nor petitioning, however, they began to recruit members of the National Guard to accompany them. They were serious about making their organized physical presence felt. They began marching to the drumbeat of the guardsmen and asserting their right as women to participate in public affairs.
On October 5, 1789, a riot began. The women gathered in large numbers at the Hotel de Ville to complain about the high bread prices and the shortage of food. They publicly said that "men didn't understand anything about the matter and that they wanted to play a role in affairs" (Landes 109). The rioting women turned into an angry mob. With shouts of "To Versailles!" they began to march twelve miles in the rain to force the king to hear their complaints. Although rather loosely organized, the women armed themselves and conquered in their demands for bread. They also conquered a king for Paris. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were seized and forced back to Paris at knife point.
In 1791, women were starting to institute their own political societies. They petitioned, marched and demonstrated, attended meetings, formed deputations, and persuaded or coerced political authorities to give in to their wishes