French Revolution and Napoleon
In Revolution-era France, expectations for women varied by social and economic class. For some women actively jostling for bread in Parisian crowds and marching to Versailles to raise their voices in complaint to the King was not unusual. In contrast, French women in the more bourgeois classes aspired to embody the domestic ideal of civility and virtue. Discussion and learning were acceptable while publication and visible leadership were discouraged.
However, at the onset of the French Revolution, the rise of Enlightenment salons accompanied the expansion of intellectual circles in France and England. These venues encouraged new levels of political engagement for the upper and middle classes. Englightentment ideas of liberty and equality inspired women into action.