Women's March on Versailles



A Depiction of the Women's March on Versailles. (Source: A chronicle of the French Revolution)

Women's March on Versailles

Introduction

The 'Women's March on Versailles' is probably one of the most vital events in the French history. It is also referred to as the October March or The March on Versailles. Historians have termed it as one of the prime events of the French Revolution. It began in the lower class vicinity markets of Paris on the morning of October 5th, 1789. Initially, it started off as riot when women of Paris were angry over the scarcity of bread and high prices. Soon, the demonstrations and anger of the riot was paired with the thoughts and activities of French revolutionaries. The prime objective of the revolutionaries was to ensure liberal and political reforms in France and to establish a constitutional monarchy in the country (Greer, 1935, pp. 77).

Over time, more people joined in the riots and its intensity grew. Agitated allies transformed themselves into mobs. The agitation was continuously being fuelled by the revolutionaries and their thought provoking ideologies. The participants of the riots then took over Paris's armoury and equipped themselves with weaponry. Later, they marched towards the Royal Palace at Versailles. The palace was besieged by the mobs and resulted in violent confrontations between both parties. The crowd was able to convey their distress to the king and presented their demands to King Louis XVI (Doyle, 1986, pp. 34). The growing agitation and increased intensity of the crowd forced the king's family and the French Assembly to return to Paris.

Discussion

The March could be attributed to ending the sole authority enjoyed by the King in France. It became the symbol of a newly found balance of power- that challenged the traditionally held aristocracy and privileges. The March ended up in giving hope to the down trodden French population. Due to high public support and compliance, the March on Versailles proved to be a defining moment in the French history.

Background

The revolutionary decade for France (1989-1799) had just begun when the March on Versailles started. In its beginning, the intensity and severity of the march couldn't be assessed. No one could have imagined that a mere simple agitation started by lower class women could transform into such a vital moment in history. Similarly, no one had even realized the severity of violence the agitation would entail (White, 1995, pp. 234).

A few months earlier, the Bastille storming had occurred and French residents were not speculating any severe incidents. Based on the immediate effects the riots incurred, common citizen of France felt that they needed to stand up for their rights and needed to participate in the country's politics. Particularly, the residents of Paris felt that they should indulge in governmental affairs and force the government to solve their issues.

However, the class distinction did exist to a certain extent on the severity of issues i.e. the poorest were confined to issues with bread and butter, due to increased prices families ...