The Struggle for Women?s Liberation in the early 20th Century

Clara Zetkin

The Second International was unofficially led by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) of Germany. Clara Zetkin was the leader of the social democratic women?s movement and was, along with Rosa Luxenburg, to the left of the leadership of the SPD that was increasingly developing as reformist conservative caste.
When the SPD formed the laws in Germany did not allow women membership of political organisations. This led Zetkin and others to organise a network of women with a semi-legal structure parallel to that of the SPD. This allowed women to play a full and active political role and struggle for their demands using the organisational structure and mass influence of the SPD to draw more women into politics.
When the laws relaxed and women were allowed membership of political parties, Zetkin recognised the need to retain and expand the special forms of organisation and propaganda already in place to further women?s struggles against oppression. This did not mean that this organisation was politically and organisationally separate from the SPD, but that the backwardness, passivity and low level of culture imposed on women by capitalist oppression meant the women?s struggle benefited from special forms of organisation.
Zetkin, along with many other female members found themselves increasingly to the left of the bureaucratic leadership of the party and trade unions in the years before the First World War. Zetkin was one of the few members in the SPD to openly agree with Luxenburg?s criticisms of the leadership?s increasing reformism that would eventually lead to them supporting the First World War.
Zetkin found that the leadership was increasingly indifferent to the struggle for the emancipation of women and yet she still recognised the importance of women remaining full members of the SPD and later the communist parties. This was so that they could access the widest working class audience for their politics. The rightward swing of the SPD made it even more important that women in the organisation held special meetings and controlled their own press.
Zetkin?s example was followed by socialist organisations in others countries, such as by the united attempts of the Bolshevik and Menshevik women to build a movement of women workers in Russia in 1905-7. These attempts were encouraged by the International Women?s Bureau which was led by left Social Democrats such as Zetkin. This Bureau played an important role in rallying opposition to the chauvinist betrayal of the leaders of the Second International.

Alexandra Kollontai

Alexandra Kollontai played an increasingly important role in the struggle for women?s emancipation both in Russia and worldwide following the revolution. Still following the example of Clara Zetkin the Bolsheviks saw the importance of special women?s organisations within their structures in order to continue the struggle for the full emancipation of women and set up the Zhenotdel (women?s department).

The Zhenotdel recognised that women?s oppression means that they are more backward, isolated within the family and often have to unite with other women in order to overcome the sexist attitudes of the men around them who would rather their wives and daughters left politics well alone. It went on to assess that women are less likely to become actively involved in political organisation and so require their meetings and propaganda directed specifically at involving them. This work took the form of special conferences for women and special representatives of factory and peasant women on local committees and state organisations.

The outcome of these activities was the development of the participation of women within the Bolshevik Party, and the adoption of resolutions specifically dealing with the interests of women that were then taken up by the Soviet Leadership. At all times, the women?s movements were fully integrated into the Party and worked within that structure for the furthering of women?s emancipation. As Lenin argued, ?this is not bourgeois ?feminism?; it is practical revolutionary expediency.?