Leninism, Stalinism, and the Women's Movement in Britain, 1920-1939 [Paperback]

This book offers a detailed examination of the interaction between socialism and feminism through the lens of one particular socialist organisation, the Communist Party of Great Britain, from its foundation in 1920 until the outbreak of the Second World War.

The study of socialism and feminism in the CPGB can be divided into four major areas  the partys concept of socialism and the role of women in a future society; the partys relationship to the feminist movement; the work of the party in relation to specific womens issues; and how the sexual division of labour operated within the party.

The author here defines and explains the socialist and feminist traditions in Britain and describes the ways in which they interacted, both at the level of theory and of practice. Sources from party press and reports to interviews with party members and non-party written and oral evidence and accounts feed into this thorough chronological treatment which outlays the changes within the CPGB during the 1920s and 30s in relation to feminism.

Preface  1. The Inheritance: A Survey of Socialism and Feminism in Britain until 1920  2. Early Promises, August 1920  October 1922  3. Womens Sections: Progress or Defeat?, November 1922  December 1925  4. Women are our Best Men , January 1926  July 1932  5. No Class Can Free You but Your Own , August 1928  December 1932  6. Feminist Cadres make an Entrance, January 1933  December 1935  7. Women Against War and Fascism, January 1936  September 1939  8. Conclusion