24 Questions
Olympe de Gouges wrote a Declaration of the ______ of Woman and Citizen in 1791.
Rights
In 1946, women in ______ won the right to vote.
France
Olympe de Gouges protested against the Constitution and the Declaration of ______ of Man and Citizen.
Rights
Olympe de Gouges was executed in ______ after being tried for treason.
1793
The goal of all political associations is the preservation of the natural ______ of woman and man.
rights
Olympe de Gouges demanded that women have equal ______ to men.
rights
Olympe de Gouges was one of the most important of the politically active ______ in revolutionary France.
women
The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen stated that woman is born ______ and remains equal to man in rights.
free
Women were disappointed that the Constitution of ______ reduced them to passive citizens.
1791
The Society of Revolutionary and ______ Women was the most famous of them.
Republican
During the ______ of Terror, the new government issued laws ordering closure of women’s clubs.
Reign
Schooling was made ______ for all girls in the early years of the revolutionary government.
compulsory
A new ____________________ was introduced which denied the vote to non-propertied sections of society.
constitution
Women could now train for ______, could become artists or run small businesses.
jobs
The ideals of ____________________, of equality before the law and of fraternity remained inspiring ideals.
freedom
The fight for the ______ was carried out through an international suffrage movement during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
vote
The ____________________ paved the way for the rise of a military dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte.
instability
Women hoped that their involvement would pressurize the ____________________ government to introduce measures to improve their lives.
revolutionary
Women demanded the right to ______ to the Assembly and to hold political office.
be elected
Most women of the ____________________ estate had to work for a living.
third
Marriage was made into a ______ entered into freely and registered under civil law.
contract
The Directory was meant as a safeguard against the concentration of power in a ____________________ executive.
one-man
Women were active participants in the events which brought about so many important changes in ____________________ society.
French
The political instability of the Directory paved the way for the rise of a military dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte, in ____________________ Revolution.
French
Study Notes
The Struggle for Women's Rights in Revolutionary France
- French women's political activities during the revolutionary years were kept alive as an inspiring memory, but it wasn't until 1946 that they won the right to vote.
Olympe de Gouges: A Revolutionary Woman
- Olympe de Gouges (1748-1793) was a prominent politically active woman in revolutionary France.
- She protested against the Constitution and the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen, which excluded women from basic rights.
- In 1791, she wrote a Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen, demanding equal rights and addressing the Queen and the National Assembly.
- In 1793, she criticized the Jacobin government for closing down women's clubs and was charged with treason, leading to her execution.
The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen
- The Declaration stated that:
- Woman is born free and equal to man in rights.
- The goal of political associations is to preserve the natural rights of woman and man, including liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.
- Sovereignty resides in the nation, which is the union of woman and man.
Women's Clubs and Political Activism
- Around 60 women's clubs emerged in different French cities, with the Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women being the most famous.
- These clubs demanded equal political rights, including the right to vote, be elected, and hold political office.
- Women were disappointed that the Constitution of 1791 reduced them to passive citizens.
Improvements in Women's Lives
- The revolutionary government introduced laws that improved women's lives, including:
- Compulsory education for girls.
- Marriage as a contract entered into freely and registered under civil law.
- Legal divorce, applicable to both women and men.
- Women's ability to train for jobs, become artists, or run small businesses.
The Struggle for Equal Rights Continues
- During the Reign of Terror, women's clubs were closed, and their political activities banned.
- Many prominent women were arrested and executed.
- The struggle for equal political rights and voting rights continued through the next two centuries in many countries.
- An international suffrage movement emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fighting for voting rights and equal wages.
Learn about the life of Olympe de Gouges, a prominent female figure in the French Revolution, and the struggles of women's rights during that time.
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