feminish

On the 5th October precisely 317 years ago today, several thousand women in Paris embarked on an unprecedented political act of force and power. Their ‘march on Versailles’ through the pouring rain finally compelled France’s beleaguered King to accept the people’s will and submit himself to their armed guard. It was the beginning of the end for the French monarchy, and the start of a Revolution worthy of the name….







What? Really?, was my first reaction when I learned about women’s extraordinary political radicalism in the ‘October Days’ of 1789. How come I’ve never heard of that before?! Such a powerful women-only political protest, wholly unprecedented in our history, with immense ramifications for France, the French Revolution and European democracy - and nobody told me?!

As I mentioned before, pulling together an outline of what happened with nice pix and primary sources was shockingly hard. Where are all the women’s historians on the web? And why do we need women’s historians to do it well anyway? What about the rest of ‘em?!

But I’ve been encouraged by Sandy D. and inspired by the women’s history snippets of Ms Natalie Bennett. And I know well that a 21st Century lass needs, “as a self-conscious, self defining human being a knowledge of her history; a knowledge of women’s rebellions and organised movements against our oppression and how they have been routed or diminished” (Adrienne Rich):

So, I’ve just posted:The March of the Women, 5 October 1789: what happened?, which includes an In-a-nutshell background to the March.

Coming up tomorrow: Women marched, so what? Did it make a difference and why should we care?

On the 5th October precisely 317 years ago today, several thousand women in Paris embarked on an unprecedented political act of force and power. Their ‘march on Versailles’ through the pouring rain finally compelled France’s beleaguered King to accept the people’s will and submit himself to their armed guard. It was the beginning of the end for the French monarchy, and the start of a Revolution worthy of the name….







What? Really?, was my first reaction when I learned about women’s extraordinary political radicalism in the ‘October Days’ of 1789. How come I’ve never heard of that before?! Such a powerful women-only political protest, wholly unprecedented in our history, with immense ramifications for France, the French Revolution and European democracy - and nobody told me?!

As I mentioned before, pulling together an outline of what happened with nice pix and primary sources was shockingly hard. Where are all the women’s historians on the web? And why do we need women’s historians to do it well anyway? What about the rest of ‘em?!

But I’ve been encouraged by Sandy D. and inspired by the women’s history snippets of Ms Natalie Bennett. And I know well that a 21st Century lass needs, “as a self-conscious, self defining human being a knowledge of her history; a knowledge of women’s rebellions and organised movements against our oppression and how they have been routed or diminished” (Adrienne Rich):

So, I’ve just posted:The March of the Women, 5 October 1789: what happened?, which includes an In-a-nutshell background to the March.

Coming up tomorrow: Women marched, so what? Did it make a difference and why should we care?