French BA Hons undergraduate.1. Why was there a considerable delay to Essay

French BA Hons undergraduate.1. Why was there a considerable delay to the introduction of universal suffrage in France - Essay Example The second section will provide a detailed description of the Napoleon laws and how they were regressive to women’s right. An examination of the socio political doctrines of French legislators and the dynamics that hindered women’s rights to vote including the role of the fight for power in the delay will follow. Further discussions on the limitations and lack of structured leadership of the women’s right movement will also indicate the reasons for the delay. Eventually the essay will discuss the changes in French law that allowed women to vote and contend for official positions. Daley (1994) defined suffrage as individual’s right to vote and provision of an opportunity to vote. Similarly, universal suffrage refers to extension of provision of voting rights to adult members of the society, both male and female. Daley (1994) further argued that universal suffrage is mainly intended to safeguard members of the public from being excluded in the voting process either as a voter or a candidate based on one’s religion, social class, knowledge, race and gender. France became the first country to grant universal suffrage to male citizens irrespective of their religion or race during the French revolution. The French revolution began as noble campaign by members of the Third estate who were agitating for a head count voting system as opposed to voting as parts of an estate in 1789. The fall of Bastille on July 14 1789 led to constitutional revolution that culminated to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens. Under the declaration, only white men who had attained stipulated property provisions were allowed to vote. However, in 1972, the property provision was excluded and the voting process was based on universal manhood suffrage. Alarmingly, political emancipation of French women was never achieved until 1945. Women in France voted for the first time on 29th April in 1945 during the municipal elections and for the