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Olympe de Gouges

Declaration of the Rights of Women

THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE FRENCH

REVOLUTION AND WORLD WAR I

"Mothers, daughters, sisters [and] representatives of the nation demand to be constituted into a national assembly. Believing that ignorance, omission, or scorn for the rights of woman are the only causes of public misfortunes and of the corruption of governments, [the women] have resolved to set forth a solemn declaration the natural, inalienable, and sacred rights of woman in order that this declaration, constantly exposed before all members of the society, will ceaselessly remind them of their rights and duties."

Pre French Revolution

  • French author who wrote "The Declaration of Rights of Women"
  • This was written as a response and a mocking remark to "The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen," which was a document that attempted to unite the social classes, but excluded women
  • This left women's voices unheard, and caused "The Declaration of Rights of Women to be written
  • This sparked the fire in all women, and forced men acknowledge the rights of women
  • By writting this, it included both genders, and gave women a place in society that they hadn't had prior to this document being written
  • Women had no political rights
  • They couldn't vote or hold political office
  • Men believed that they were "more capable

than women to ably govern political matters"

  • Education was limited and mostly consisted of learning how to be a good mother/wife
  • Women were not welcomed into the "political sphere" because they were thought of as inferior to men
  • Women's roles were seen as solely domestic
  • Women were forced to rely on men to make all the political decisions, which means that they had very little, if any, influence on the decisions that the government was making

Start of the Revolution

  • As the Revolution started women began to take a stand and become more involved in politics
  • Women began to fight for their political rights and for their right to bare arms
  • An example of this is Pauline Leon, who in 1792 wrote a petition to the National Assembly that requested permission to form a national garde that would protect Paris in case of an invasion. In this petition she requested that women be able to arm themselves. Unfotunately, the National Assembly denied her request.
  • Many women who were involved in this feminist movement also fought for their right to an education
  • This unrest led to full scale riots

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

March of Versailles

"The representatives of the French people, organized as a National Assembly, believing that the ignorance, neglect, or contempt of the rights of man are the sole cause of public calamities and of the corruption of governments, have determined to set forth in a solemn declaration the natural, unalienable, and sacred rights of man, in order that this declaration, being constantly before all the members of the Social body, shall remind them continually of their rights and duties."

  • Began the morning of October 5 1789
  • Occurred when a group of women came together in a marketplace in Paris and as a group, marched to Versaille to demand bread, and to attempt to force the high prices of bread down
  • These women were armed with pitchforks, muskets, pikes, swords and other weapons that they were able to obtain
  • Through forceful and violent tactics, the women succeeded in pressing their demands upon Louis XVI, and persuading him to return to New York with them
  • This is a key example of women's activism during the French Revolution

In Conclusion...

  • The French Revolution is a key example in History that shows women's willingness to fight for their rights and for equality
  • The women's movement during this period wasn't as successful as it was intended to be, but it was the start of the feminist movement, and continued to play a role in women's movements throughout history

World War I- Job Oppurtunities for Women

  • Women played a more active role in World War I than in the French Revolution
  • With men off at war, women were expected to fill the jobs that the men had left open.
  • Women volunteered as nurses (red cross), and volunteered knitting/sewing clothes for soldiers
  • Many women worked in factories and worked in other jobs that had previously been thought of as solely "men's jobs"
  • Thousands of women worked in munition factories
  • Working conditions were very dangerous
  • These women were nicknamed "canary girls" because long time exposure to TNT can cause discoloration of the skin, making women in this working enviornment have a yellow orange tint to their skin.
  • Another way that women participated in the war was through working as a bilingual telephone operator or a stenographer

Women in the War

  • During World War I, women in certain countries were allowed to fight in the War
  • Over 12,000 women were enlisted in the US army
  • Four hundred of those women died in their line of duty
  • 2,800 women served in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps.
  • These women were given paramilitary training in small arms, drill, first aid and vehicle maintenance in case they were needed as home guards
  • 43 women died while serving the Canadian military
  • In 1917 the Russian Provisional Government deployed women in large numbers
  • Although the women fought well, the Women's Batallions were disbanded within the year.

The War's Impact on Women

Women's Suffrage

  • The war had a mixed impact on women
  • Although the war provided women with new oppurtunities, many women were forced to take on jobs because their husband had been killed in the war, and they needed a way to feed and support their families
  • "How many hapless mothers are there today who until now have been living under the tutelage of a husband but are now obliged to struggle independently for the survival of their children? With horror they realize that they are not capable of doing that because they lack experience and the skills, so they let their hands sink down, and their family will perish."
  • The War forced women of all classes to take on new responsibilities
  • Even women of higher economic standings needed to work to support their families
  • Prior to World War I, very few countries allowed women to vote
  • Women in Norway were granted the right to vote in 1913, and Denmark in 1915
  • The majority of countries though, still did not grant women the right to vote prior to the war
  • With the beginning of World War I, and the new oppurtunities that had arisen for women, feminist movements had begun in many countries
  • The National Women's party was an organization in the United States that had been founded by Alice Paul in 1913
  • This organization fought for women's right to vote, more specifically for women to be able to vote on the same terms as men
  • Many organizations similar to the National Women's party had been founded in other countries as well
  • Towards the end of the war, Canada, Soviet Russia, Germany and Poland had granted women the right to vote
  • After the war had ended, British women over 30 had the right to vote in 1918, Dutch women in 1919, and American women had the right to vote in 1920

Comparing/Contrasting French Revolution and WWI

Work Cited

  • During World War I, men were able to acknowledge that women were needed in order to fight the war
  • On the other hand, during the French Revolution, men still thought that women were inferior to them, and that their role in society should be solely domestic
  • Both the women's movements in the French Revolution and WWI were vital parts of World History, but women played a much more active role in WWI than in the French Revolution

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"French Revolution: Women in the French Revolution." Staff.gps.edu. Web. 9 May 2012. <http://staff.gps.edu/mines/French%20Revolution%20-%20women.htm>.

"Liberty Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution." Chapter 5 Page 1. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/chap5a.html>.

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"Seattle General Strike: Where Women Worked During World War I." Seattle General Strike: Where Women Worked During World War I. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://depts.washington.edu/labhist/strike/kim.shtml>.

Wade, Rex A. The Russian Revolution, 1917. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2000. Print.

"Women in World War 1." About.com European History. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/worldwar1/a/ww1women.htm>.

"World War One and Women." World War One and Women. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world_war_one_and_women.htm>.

THE END

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