Women in European History (Making of Europe (Paper))

Women in European History illustrates the social, cultural, legal and, political conditions that European women have faced from the Middle Ages to the present day. It also explores women's ideas and ideals, their perceptions of the relations between the sexes and their struggle for civil, political, and social rights. The book covers the long-standing European debate on gender relations and the roles of the sexes in society, which ultimately also posed the question of what is humanity. The study spans, among other topics, changes in marriage over centuries, women's role in the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution, gender relations in the European welfare states, the European dictatorships and Nazi racism and the women's movements in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The book concludes with an account of the emergence of historiography on women over the past two centuries. TABLE OF CONTENTS Series Editor’s Preface vii Preface ix 1 Querelle des femmes: A European Gender Dispute 1 The Dignity of Man and the Dignity of Woman 2 Misogamy and Misogyny; Philogamy and Philogyny 14 The Power of Fathers, the Power of Men, the Power of Women 27 2 The French Revolution: The Dispute is Resumed 32 Hopes 33 Rights of Man and Rights of Woman 41 Amazons and Counter-revolutionaries 55 Napoleon and the Revolution in Europe 62 Nocturnal Intrigues 78 3 Challenging Boundaries: A Third Gender Dispute 82 Changing Debates and Language 84 No Angels in the House: Ideals and Realities 93 Old and New Labour 99 Pre-Pioneers and Pioneers of the Women’s Movement 108 A Social Movement 116 4 From the Social to the Political 127 National and Transnational Movements 128 Equal because Different: The Political Discourse of Suffragism 137 First-comers and Late-comers: European Paths to Women’s Suffrage 145 Citizenship and Mother’s Rights 156 Social Policies for and against Women 168 5 Between Extremes 174 Female Citizens and the New Woman 175 Maternity and Paternity in the Welfare State 181 Paths Leading to Dictatorship: The Political and the Private 189 National Socialism and Race Policy 206 War and Genocide in Europe 218 6 Civil, Political and Social Rights: A New Gender Debate 233 Liberty and Equality 235 The Longest Revolution 245 History, Mind and Gender 256 Notes 265 Bibliography 280 Index 291

Bock (Western European history, Free U., Berlin) examines gender relations and the role of women in European history from the Middle Ages to the present. The focus is on the debate through the centuries on the question of the nature of women, men, the sexes, and humanity. Topics include, for example, the role of women in the French Revolution, the political discourse of suffragism, the conscription of women laborers during WWII, and the modern welfare state and families headed by women. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Querelle Des Femmes: A European Gender Dispute -- The French Revolution: The Dispute Is Resumed -- Challenging Boundaries: A Third Gender Dispute -- From The Social To The Political -- Between Extremes -- Civil, Political And Social Rights: A New Gender Debate. Gisela Bock ; Translated By Allison Brown. Translation Of: Frauen In Der Europäischen Geschichte (münchen : C.h. Beck, C2000). Includes Bibliographical References (p. [280]-290) And Index. This work illustrates the social, cultural, legal and political conditions that European women have faced from the Middle Ages to the present day. It also explores women's ideas and ideals, and their struggle for civil, political, and social rights This book illustrates the social, cultural, legal and, political conditions that European women have faced from the Middle Ages to the present day. European history is rich in evidence of how differently the sexes, their peculiarities and their relationships can be perceived and interpreted.