Position:Home>History> Need help writing 2 paragraphs on the role of women during the French Revolution

On 5th october 1789, in response to rumours (untrue) that the royal family were hoarding grain at Versailles, a march of 7,000 people, mostly women took place to Versailles!. Many of the women worked in the fish markets of Paris, which is why they were known as fishwives!. They stormed the palace of Versailles, and two of the royal bodyguards were killed!. They stood outside the palace and demanded to see Marie Antoinette, and eventually she appeared on a balcony and stood there for hours!. Some of the marchers were impressed by her courage!. They then demanded that the royal family move from Versailles to live in Paris, which they did!.

Marie Antoinette was a focus of hatred for the revolutionaries!. She was regarded with suspciions because she was Austrian, and it was thought that she cared for the interests of Austria above those of France!. She was also unfairly blamed for France's dire economic situation!. It is true that she was frivolous and extravagent, but the personal expenditure of the royal family accounted for only a tiny fragment of state expenditure, and really made hardly any difference to the economy of France!. She behaved with great courage during the stormin gof Versailles by the Parisienne women (which must have been a terrifying experience for her) and continued to behave to with courage during the rest of the revolution, and especially after her arrest and imprisonment, and the execution of her husband, when she must have realised that her own death could not be long in following his!. When she was executed in October 1793, she behaved with perfect composure, even apologising to the executioner, Samson, for accidentaly standing on his foot when she was mounting the steps to the guillotine!.

Charlotte Corday was a patriot and supporter of the revolution from Caen in southern France, who hoped to save the revolution from its extremist excesses by murdering Marat, one of the most extreme of the revolutionary leaders!. She went to see Marat on 13 July 1793, saying that she wished to give him 'vital secrets' from Caen!. Marat was in his bath where he spent much of his time due to a horrible skin disease he suffered from!. charlotte stabbed him to death!. She was guillotined on 17th July 1793!.

Olympe de Gouges was a playwright and pamphleteer who aroused public hostility by pleading for the life of Louis XVI in 1792, and even more by criticising Marat and Robespierre!. She was finally accused of undermining the Republic when her broadsheet Les Trois urnes, advocating a plebiscite to let the people decide between a Republican government, a federal government, and the monarchy, appeared on bills around Paris!. She was tried and guillotined!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---