Women in the French Revolution

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that some women had been able to vote for deputies of the First and Second Estates before the Revolution, but the rglement royal (royal decree) of January 24, 1789, took those voting rights away; women could only vote through a male representative. The author points out that professional and working women joined in the fight from the storming of the Bastille in 1789 through the many years of revolt that followed. The paper relates that, even as they worked diligently for liberty, women were not considered citizens of France and did not win the right to vote until 1944.

From the Paper:

"Most of the women who championed and worked for the Revolution believed in the rights of women, and that the Revolution would create a new age for women in France. One of these women was Throigne de Mricourt, a single woman and singer who worked tirelessly throughout the Revolution, and was awarded a couronne civique for her activity in the August 10, 1792 attack on the Tuileries. She gave numerous speeches about the Revolution, started a club for both sexes called the "Amis de la loi," a club who hoped to inform the populace in political matters and to drive out fear and ignorance. She traveled to Belgium to incite revolution, where she was jailed in Austria until 1791. "She described her persecutors as abominable and hideous liars, saying 'not only is their goal to incriminate and defile an innocent woman, but they tend also to compromise and dishonor persons who are respectable and deserving of the esteem of the public.'" When she returned to Paris after her release, she was greeted with admiration and applause. De Mricourt is representative of women who worked for the Revolution in many ways."

More papers on Women in the French Revolution:

• Comparison Essay # 21830 : "The Roles of Women in the French Revolution"
• Essay # 53746 : "The Women of the French Revolution"
• Term Paper # 115178 : "Women and the French Revolution"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: