Question

this post is coauthored by elizabeth a. novara, historian, manuscript division, and erika hope spencer, reference specialist, french collections, latin american, caribbean, and european division.

eighty years ago, on april 21, 1944, france decreed that women would have the right to vote in postwar elections. at the time, france remained under german occupation and general charles de gaulle was leading a provisional government. world war ii was drawing to a close and as other priorities took precedence, french women would not have an opportunity to go to the polls until april 1945. after more than 150 years of agitating for this fundamental right of citizenship, french women finally secured the vote. this victory came rather late, especially considering the promising proclamations of women such as olympe de gouges during the french revolution of 1789.

philosophers and politicians in france and america have participated in a lively exchange of ideas since the creation of our respective modern nations. the library of congress itself includes the personal library of one of the most adamant francophiles, thomas jefferson. it stands to reason that the librarys collections reflect the rich exchanges between political and cultural figures. the manuscript divisions womens suffrage collections are home to some fascinating documents tracing these dialogues between french and american suffragists. in celebration of the landmark decision granting womens

Explanation:

The text details the history of French women gaining the right to vote in 1944 - 1945, including the context of World War II, prior struggles, and related cultural - political exchanges between France and America. It also mentions relevant collections in the Library of Congress.

Answer:

The text is about the history of French women's suffrage.