The Women's March on Verasailles of 1789

(https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist151/French%20Revolution%20II/album/slides/WomenMarch_to_Versailles.html)

The Women’s March on Versailles was one of the first marches for women in history, happening on October 5 and 6 1789 (The October March on Versailles) . According to alphahistory.com, many people, more specifically women, marched from Paris to Versailles about 12 miles away, where the royal family at the time lived. Women at this march all protested for different things. Some protested for bread, as there was a very severe and large shortage of bread. Some women wanted the king at the time, King Louis XVI, to leave Versailles and come live in Paris with the people he ruled so he could be a better ruler. Some were protesting over controversy and rumors of the time surrounding the French revolution going on at the time. Either way, many of the people protesting were very upset, making the entire protest violent and messy. They protested for hours until finally the king came out and said he would help with the shortage of bread. However, that was not enough for some people, so they decided to hunt down and try to kill the king’s wife, the much-hated Marie Antoinette. She very narrowly escaped through the many rooms of the palace. After all of this, to please the Parisians, the king announced he would come to Paris with them and leave Versailles.

This march was important in the context of women’s rights and roles throughout history because this march paved the way for future marches for women’s rights, like the previously talked about marches of the Women’s Suffrage Movement later on in the 20th century. This also goes well with my exhibit theme because although this march did not make a huge step for women’s rights or changing their roles, it helped prove that women had a voice, and could make a huge difference.

Works Cited

“French Revolution II/WomenMarch_to_Versailles.” The Future of Wind Power, www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist151/French Revolution II/album/slides/WomenMarch_to_Versailles.html.

“The October March on Versailles.” Weimar Republic, 3 June 2018, alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/october-march-on-versailles/.