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Women's March On Versailles Essay

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The Women’s March on Versailles began on October 5, 1789 in the streets of Paris (Sherman 494). The event, also referred to as the October Days or the October March (Racz 160), would play an important role in the French Revolution as the women of Paris rallied against the French government. What began as a demand for a steady source of nutrition became a way for the women of France to take political action of their own. Ultimately, the march, which included an eleven-mile journey to Versailles, ended in the transfer of King Louis XVI and the rest of the royal family to Paris (Sherman 494). With the leaders of the French monarchy in captivity, the march would have a lasting legacy that not only advanced the French citizens’ uprise against their government. The Women’s March on Versailles struck a conversation pertaining to women’s rights beyond traditional roles in the household setting. Following the National Assembly’s “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen” in August 1789, tensions between the French government and …show more content…

Many factors such as a poor harvest, caused the price of bread to rise, keeping working class Parisians from feeding their families (Rose 46). Despite efforts made by the French government to have grain imported, Paris suffered a bread shortage, causing families to wait in long lines outside of bakeries (Kropotkin 149). Rumors for the bread shortage spread, and one newspaper even claimed that ‘the aristocrats destroyed corn before it was ripe, paid the bakers not to work, suspended trade, and threw flour into the rivers’ (Rose 47). Thus, the women in Paris were infuriated—not only were the women unable to eat, but traditionally, it was a woman’s responsibility to keep her family fed. However, with the bread shortage, they were unable to do this. This, along with with rumors of the aristocrats sabotaging the sale of bread, caused the women in Paris to revolt alongside the

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