powerpoint presentation on effects of french revolution

In the early and optimistic days of the Revolution, the notion of equality ( égalité) was applied in theory to both women and to the enslaved people in French colonial territories. The French army meets up with the Women’s March. Triumphant Parisian army reunites with the people on its return from Versailles to Paris, October 6, 1789. Historians still debate the true character of the salon and its role in history, but there is no doubt that they provided a platform for their hosts to exert influence outside of the domestic realm. Though they did not enjoy legal rights, in many instances they were regarded as intellectual equals to the men in their lives. They were the daughters of French ministers or the wives of aristocrats and had grown up with the privilege of an expansive education. Known as salonnières, these ladies wielded a significant amount of indirect influence in the world of politics and diplomacy. These gatherings were established before the Revolution, and they were often hosted, not by a distinguished man, but by his fashionable (and hopefully, witty) wife. New ideas about education, class, and individual rights were being discussed at the evening gatherings of Paris high society known as salons. Eighteenth-century philosophers such as Jean Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire challenged the thinking of French society.

The French Revolution was born out of the ideas of the Enlightenment. While the intellectuals of the upper classes debated property rights and universal suffrage, the working classes took to the streets with their own frustrations such as finding affordable bread. Women were eager to voice their political opinions and grievances. However, the ideas of equality and comradery that sparked the French Revolution captivated women from all backgrounds.

Domestic duty and family obligation dictated their behavior, and the public life was a man’s domain. When the French Revolution began in 1789, French women were largely confined to the private sphere. (The following is a post by Erika Hope Spencer, French Reference Specialist, European Division.)

Powerpoint presentation on effects of french revolution