How did the March on Versailles affect how women were treated during the French Revolution and what were the results?

Before the French Revolution began the amount of rights women had was questioned very little. No one questioned women being expected to only do things around the house until 1789 when women became vocal and demanded to have the same freedoms as men. After lower class men demanded for more rights with the Declaration of the Rights of Man, women were given confidence to make a stand for their own rights. Although it was sent by an anonymous writer, a petition was sent to the king by women from the third estate wishing for more privileges . The March on Versailles was due to the outrage over rising bread prices. Thousands of women …show more content…
Before women started making an effort to have the same social freedoms as men, many did not see a problem with how they were treated. Many things took place such as the Great Fear, the Storming of the Bastille, and the Petition of Women of the Third Estate to the King before the March on Versailles; however, none of those efforts made the same impact as the 7,000 women that stormed the palace did. The Great Fear was a time when the crops were not doing as well and rumors were spread that the wealthy were hoarding crops for themselves. This caused the many who were outraged to revolt against the upper class. The Storming of the Bastille was similar to The Great Fear in that it was a time when the people were upset with the government. The reason this happened was because the people felt that the government was abusive. This was important because it marked the start of the Revolution. The picture to the right is a depiction of the Storming of the Bastille. It pictures the rise up of peasants against the government officials and how they mean nothing to them. This represents how the regular people of society did not care what the leaders did or said, they still destroyed the Bastille (Adieu Bastille). When describing what the Storming of the Bastille did Mircea Platon says, “It overturned the longstanding French system of monarchical government and introduced the …show more content…
The shortages of food from the harvest caused everyone to be uneasy and worry about having enough. The government ordered more food because of this but when it did not come in time it caused the people to make up false ideas such as the king was keeping bread back and creating the shortage himself. When the price of bread shot up the women could not take anymore so they started the march (The October March on Versailles). Although the rise of bread prices was the final thing that made the women want to revolt against the king it was not the only thing. The people were upset that the king and his lords were living a life of luxury and not helping the starving peasants. When describing the king’s Palace of Versailles a source says, “ Versailles was not a single palace but a sprawling complex of buildings and outbuildings, manicured lawns and gardens, roads and decorative features... The main palace had 2,153 rooms, 67 staircases and floor space exceeding 67,000 square metres” (The October March on Versailles). Louis XIV had the palace built when he had control over the throne in 1661 (French Court of Versailles). While the common people are suffering because they cannot afford a loaf of bread, the king is living an outrageously expensive life. They are upset because of how distant the king is and how unaware he is of the struggles the regular people are