?One of the great enigmas of French history is why it took until the mid-20th century for French women to obtain their full political rights....Bidelman provides valuable insights into this phenomenon in an examination of the formative period of the liberal feminist movement, which originated during the Second Empire....Woven into the narrative is a perceptive analysis of the factors that weakened liberal feminism as a political force in the 19th and early 20th centuries....Bidelman's study compels historians to consider how the liberal democratic tradition in France and elsewhere can perpetuate sexism despite its explicit commitment to individual freedom and equality of opportunity.?-Choice