question_answer

  Look at the picture given below. Imagine you were a citizen of Frankfurt in March 1848 and were present during the proceedings of the Parliament. How would you (a) as a man seated in the hall of deputies, and (b) as a woman observing from the galleries, relate to the banner of Germania hanging from the ceiling?          The Frankfurt Parliament in the Church of St Paul.

Answer:

                  (a) As a man seated in the hall of deputies, I would relate positively to the banner of Germania, as I would feel all that it symbolised was coming true.   (b) As a woman observing from the galleries, I would consider the banner to depict the truth only partially. Women had participated with men equally in the struggle for constitutionalism with national unification, but they were denied suffrage rights during elections to the National Assembly. Women were only admitted to the assembly as passive citizens and observers.