The extent of the involvement of the middle class in politics in Europe before the French Revolution had traditionally been minor. The monarch rarely cared about the opinions of the commoners, because of he had absolute power and was unopposed. The French Revolution brought vast changes in the role of the 3rd Estate, which included the bourgeoisie and lower class. At the conclusion of the revolution the 3rd Estate was granted the right that all men were born and remain free and equal in rights, along with freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom to choose a vocation. These rights were first stated in the American Constitution and were subsequently transferred to the Declaration of the Rights of Man by General Lafayette aided by Thomas Jefferson. This began the French Revolution which was lead by the beliefs of the commoners.
             General Lafayette was being quite literal when he referred to the "Rights of Man." He, like most males, believed that women were not entitled to the same rights as men because of their domestic role precluded the possibility of a life beyond the household. In opposition to the views of Lafayette, Olympe de Gouges, wrote The Rights of Women, which proclaimed that women deserved the right to be educated, to control their own land, and to initiate divorce. The prejudice against women was too much for Olympe de Gouges to demand that women have full political rights. The French Revolution broke many of the previous stereotypes of the middle class along with women, because they played such an important part. In 1789 impart to the "Rights of Man," King Louis XXVI revoked many of the aristocratic privileges. Then in the fall a group of women angry about the shortage of bread in Paris decided to go to Versailles and meet with the royal family, The women demanded that the king hold fast to the decrees of the National Assembly that he agreed to. This proved to the country that...