Section A: Survey Plan Throughout history, women are often included as a side note to events of their age, most often considered small and unimportant among patriarchs. Despite this gap in historical documentation, certain events are nevertheless looked at more closely through the eyes of women. The French Revolution of the 18th century was one of these events. This investigation will explore the French Revolution and ask: to what extent did women have an impact? In Thomas Streissguth's work, Women of the French Revolution, he highlights several women from France, while also analyzing their contribution during the revolution. With her book as a major source, the investigation will explore themes of women's riots and salons, individual women, and women as a whole. Section B: Summary of Evidence In the summer of 1788, France was on the brink of revolution. Thousands of people were starving and peasant revolts were breaking out across the country. At this time, French government and society were in a period called the "Ancien Régime", where mobility between classes was almost unknown. Someone born into the aristocracy was lucky, while someone born into poverty would likely struggle their entire life. Women's roles were "strictly defined" regardless of the social class they belonged to (Streissguth 6). Before the revolution, most women did not ask themselves where their place was: in the home. It was very rare for a woman to work outside the domestic sphere, as she did not have as much freedom as men, even those of the lower classes. By May 1789, France had fallen into a deep economic crisis and public unrest was high, forcing the king to convene the Estates General. The Estates General, according to Thomas Streis...... middle of paper ......s, author, philosopher, feminist, French revolutionary.Np, nd Web. April 18, 2014. http://www.women-philosophers.com/Olympe-de-Gouges.html Mines, Linda. “What women have done.” French Revolution: Women in the French Revolution.Np, nd Web. . "Olympe de Gouges, 'Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Female Citizen'", in Darline GavLevy, H. Applewhite and M. Johnson, eds., Women in Revolutionary Paris, 1785-1795 (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1979), pp. 92-96. “Main dates and chronology of the French Revolution”. Main dates and chronology of the French Revolution. Np, and Web. April 11, 2014. Streissguth, Thomas. Women of the French Revolution. 1st ed. 1. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2005.104. Print.