Women in the 1848-1849 Hungarian Revolution

In March 1848, revolution swept through Central Europe, bringing with it new opportunities for political participation and patriotic displays. Many women actively supported the 1848 revolutions, fighting on the barricades, sewing national flags, forming democratic associations, and taking part in demonstrations. They also took up their pens, and in Hungary, women produced the "Demands of the Radical Hungarian Women," which appeared in a newspaper in late April. This twenty-four-point petition, reprinted below in English translation and the original Hungarian, addresses issues common to women across Europe in 1848. Conditioned by the context in which it appeared, the petition places emphasis on displays of Hungarian patriotism and support for national culture.