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Vincent Dold: The Second Revolutionary? Gendered Revolutionary Scripts and Their Inherent Power Inequalities in the German Socialist Movement from 1848 to 1918

Revolutions are considered the most emblematic mode of political and societal transformation in modern European history. Especially in the aftermath of the French Revolution, ‘revolution’ itself became a collective singular. It could be feared, hoped for, and made: the figure of the revolutionary was born. His male character was historiographically often stated, less often questioned and only partially explained. 
On the basis of discussions on revolutionary scripts and their mimetic aspects, I would like to present my current PhD research on the link between gender and power structures within the revolutionary movements during the German Revolutions of 1848/49 and 1918/19. Following the indication that revolutionary actors are aware of their past and therefore model themselves in reference – either affirmatively or dismissively – to it, I propose to enquire into the script of female revolutionaries. Firstly, I will discuss to what extent the tradition (in discourse and practice) of the French Revolution influenced gender constructions in the German Revolutions of 1848/49. How did it shape the field of action for revolutionary (intellectual as well as lower class) women? Secondly, I will argue that these scripts underwent a dynamic transformation during the decades of the German Empire: In fevered discussions on the Paris Commune, the Russian Revolution of 1905/07 and even the British suffragette movement, the German socialist movement generated new practices of political female activism. Namely, the female comrade, female agitator and female protester. Thirdly, I will re-evaluate the gendered power inequalities within the German Revolution of 1918/19 by asking about these influences on the traditional script of the female revolutionary. In taking such a cultural historical approach, my paper seeks to contribute to the question how revolutions were ‘performed’ on the basis of hierarchical gender constructions and to what extent the notion of ‘revolution’ offered room for alternative gendered power relations.