Question

Write a note on the role of women in nationalist struggles.

Answer 1

Artistic representations of the French Revolution show men and women participating equally in the movement. Liberty is personified as a woman; also, liberal nationalism propounded the idea of universal suffrage, leading to women’s active participation in nationalist movements in Europe. Although women had actively participated in nationalist struggles, they were given little or no political rights; an example was the Frankfurt parliament, where women were admitted only as observers to stand in the visitors’ gallery.