Eighty years ago, on April 21, 1944, France decreed that women would have the right to vote in postwar elections. However, due to German occupation and other pressing priorities, French women did not actually cast their ballots until April 1945. This victory came after more than 150 years of advocacy for women’s suffrage in France.
While France was delayed in granting women the right to vote, other European countries had already embraced women’s suffrage by the early 20th century. Finland, known as the birthplace of modern democracy, granted women suffrage in 1906, setting a precedent for the rest of Europe. From Denmark to Azerbaijan, Germany to Georgia, women across the continent were granted at least limited voting rights in the 1910s, marking a significant step towards gender equality in politics.
However, the fight for suffrage was not without challenges. In the United Kingdom, suffragettes fought tirelessly for the right to vote, using militant tactics such as hunger strikes and chaining themselves to railings. Their efforts led to the Representation of the People Act 1918, which granted voting rights to certain women over 30.
The journey towards suffrage was gradual in some countries, with Greece not implementing equal voting rights until 1952. Switzerland also took time to grant women the right to vote at the federal and local levels. Italy saw a delay in women’s suffrage due to Fascism, but women finally gained the right to vote in 1945 after participating in the struggle against fascism.
In Spain, women gained the right to vote in 1933 but faced setbacks under Franco’s dictatorship. It wasn’t until 1977, two years after Franco’s death, that women participated in national elections in Spain. France’s journey towards suffrage was marked by institutional resistance and political turmoil, culminating in the post-World War II era.