Question

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

Answer 1

The role of women in nationalist struggles. Women played a very important role in nationalist struggles all over the world. They participated equally mostly in every movements. They faced torture of police but still they stood by their male counterparts. A large number of women participated actively in the political matters over the year. Sometimes they led the movements also, formed many political associations, founded newspapers and took part in political meetings and demonstrations. The most famous example is the French revolution where women participated equally as men. Liberty is personified as a women and also liberal nationalism proposed the idea of universal suffrage, leading to women's active participation in nationalist movements in Europe. So, on 18 May 1848, when the Constitution was drafted in the Frankfurt Parliament the controversial issue of the extending political rights to women was raised. Still women were deprived of suffrage during the election of the assembly and they were admitted in the Frankfurt Parliament Assembly only as spectators. But this did not diminish their contribution to the national struggle. Delphine De Girardin, an educated woman, criticized by saying that if servants doing the household work were granted the right to vote then why not women who are mothers, housewives managing everything at home. Women were given little or no political rights, right to vote etc. till the end of 19th century.

Answer 2

Answer:

The role of women in nationalist struggles: The issue of extending political rights to women was a controversial one within the liberal movement, in which large numbers of women had participated actively over the years.

Women had formed their own political associations, founded newspapers and taken part in political meetings and demonstrations. Despite this, they were denied suffrage during the election of the Assembly.

When the Frankfurt Parliament convened in the Church of St. Paul, women were admitted only as observers to stand in the visitors’ gallery.

Nations were portrayed as female figures. The female form that was chosen to personify the nation did not stand for any particular woman in real life rather it sought to give the abstract idea of a nation a concrete form.

Thus women participated in nationalist movements but were not given equality in political rights.