Women and Politics

379 Words1 Page

After the whole sugar extravaganza the women of Paris started to become actively involved in street politics. Being involved in street politics allowed the women to express their opinions by using demonstrations, petitions. "Perhaps the most significant female participation in the French Revolution came in the early 1790’s with the advent of the women’s political club." The women’s political club provided an intellectual stimulation and a way to exercise some sort of political pressure on the National Assembly. The Assembly, which was around since the beginning of the revolution and neglected to allow women to join until the 1790’s. The women joined a group that stemmed from the National Assembly called Le Confederation des amis de la verite (The Confederation of the Friends of Truth). "In addition to having a general policy supportive of the crucial rights questions of female education and wife- initiated divorce, this club offered a women’s section, led by a Dutch immigrant Etta Palm D’Aelders"." Palm made up the women’s section and allowed them to find a way to achieve legal rights for women. "Among the desired reforms were elimination of primogeniture, protection against wife beating, a divorce bill favorable to women, and political equality between the sexes." A short while after, Palm decided that the women’s section was not strong enough to pursue the equality that women were searching for. She decided to start another association called Les Amies de la verite, which was made of all women. "The club exacted prohibitive dues, so membership was restricted to the upper class. Les Amies functioned as a social as well as political club: the women spent a great deal of time and money assisting the poor." Les Amies cleared the way for the establishment of Les Citoyennes republicaines revolutionaires (The Society of Revolutionary Republican Women), which was made up of the most radical women during the revolution.

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