From the onset of the French Revolution, women were fervently involved in transformative events of the French Revolution, driven by hope that their participation would lead to beneficial societal reforms. Women from the third estate predominantly had to work to sustain themselves. They were often relegated to domestic responsibilities like cooking, child-rearing, and fetching essentials. Despite their contributions, women typically received lower wages than men.

Women’s Political Mobilization

Political Clubs: Seeking to champion their causes, women established their political clubs and newspapers, with around sixty such clubs emerging across France.

• • The Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women stood out as a significant group among them. 
• Key Demands: It included equal political rights for women, akin to those of men. The Constitution of 1791’s relegation of women to passive citizenship was a particular point of contention. 
  • They aspired for voting rights, eligibility for Assembly, and capacity to assume political offices.

Legal Reforms 

Mandatory schooling for all girls was established. 

• Women Empowerment: By protecting forced marriages, with marriage recognized as a consensual contract. 
  • Women received opportunities to train for professions, take up artistic pursuits, or manage small businesses
• Legalized divorce: It became accessible to both genders.

Ongoing Struggle and Suppression

Ongoing Struggle: Despite these advancements, pursuit of equal political rights remained an uphill battle.

• Reign of Terror: It brought setbacks, with the government enacting laws to shut down women’s clubs and inhibit their political engagements. 
  • Numerous influential women faced arrest, and some were executed.
• The Long Fight for Suffrage: The quest for women’s voting rights and wage parity spanned two centuries worldwide.
  • In late 19th and early 20th centuries witnessed a global suffrage movement, with the proactive political endeavours of French women during the Revolutionary era serving as an influential precedent.
• Victory: It wasn’t until 1946 that French women finally secured their right to vote.

Abolition of Slavery

One of the most revolutionary social reforms of the Jacobin regime was abolition of slavery in  French colonies. The colonies in Caribbean Martinique, Guadeloupe, and San Domingo were important suppliers of commodities such as tobacco, indigo, sugar, and coffee.

• Triangular Slave Trade:  During  17th century, due to labor shortage in colonies, a triangular trade system was established between Europe, Africa, and Americas.
  • French merchants from Bordeaux or Nantes ventured to Africa, where they procured slaves, who were then transported in severe conditions across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.
  • These slaves were subsequently sold to plantation owners to cater to European demand for various goods.
  • Cities like Bordeaux and Nantes flourished economically due to their involvement in this trade.
• Slavery and the French Revolution: During the 18th century, there was a conspicuous absence of criticism towards slavery in France.
• • The National Assembly debated the idea of extending rights of man to every French subject but refrained from passing laws against slavery, fearing adverse effects on businesses.
• Slave Convention: It was a Convention that took a monumental step in 1794, decreeing freedom of all slaves in French territories. 
  • However, this was not a permanent solution.
• Napoleon’s Reversal and Final Abolition: Napoleon made the controversial decision to reintroduce slavery a mere decade after its abolition by the Convention.
• The dark era of slavery in French colonies came to a definitive end in 1848.

Influence of Politics on Everyday Life in Post-1789 France

Post 1789, revolutionary governments in France made sweeping changes, attempting to embody principles of liberty and equality in daily life.

• Abolition of Censorship: Post storming of Bastille in summer of 1789, a significant law abolishing censorship was implemented.
  • During the Old Regime, the king’s censors had to approve all written materials and cultural activities.
• The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen, however, recognized freedom of speech and expression as inherent rights.
• Flourishing of Print Media: The end of censorship ushered in an era of explosive growth in media. 
  • Newspapers, pamphlets, books, and printed images became widely available, spreading quickly even to the French countryside.
  • These materials offered varying perspectives on ongoing events and transformations in France.
  • The newfound freedom of press ensured diverse viewpoints could be presented, with each side using print to share and validate its stance.
• Cultural Expressions of Political Ideals: Plays, songs, and festive processions became popular mediums through which the public could engage with and understand political concepts.
  • These events made complex ideas like liberty and justice more accessible, bringing them to a larger audience beyond just the educated elite.

Conclusion

Napoleon Bonaparte ascended to power in 1804, crowning himself Emperor of France. With ambitions of modernizing Europe, he implemented significant reforms, such as the protection of private property and the introduction of the decimal system. Initially hailed as a liberator, Napoleon’s expanding conquests eventually cast him in the light as an invader. His reign, however, came to an end with his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Spirit of revolution reached beyond European borders. Figures like Tipu Sultan and Rammohan Roy drew inspiration from these revolutionary concepts.

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