Anti-Fascism, Gender, and International Communism: The Comité Mondial des Femmes contre la Guerre et le Fascisme, 1934 – 1941 (Routledge Studies in Fascism and the Far Right)

__Anti-Fascism, Gender, and International Communism__ provides a comprehensive history of the __Comite mondial des femmes contre la guerre et le fascisme__ (CMF), an international women’s organisation concerned with confronting the impact of fascism on women and children across the globe. Women played an essential role in the international struggle against fascism during the interwar period, although a focus on the efforts of men and political figures by the historiography has largely overshadowed women’s interventions against right-wing dictatorships. Through an examination of the committee’s key figures, strategies, connections, and campaigns, this book offers a significant contribution to the histories of both women’s activism and anti-fascist activism by positioning the CMF as an important contributor to international political advocacy in the interwar period. Further, the group’s association with international communism and the burgeoning Popular Front movement placed the CMF at the forefront of global debates about the threat posed by fascism and imperialism. This book explores how the professional women activists and the working-class women who populated the organisation developed a committee which advocated for women on a global scale. It charts how the CMF utilised a variety of physical spaces and literary formats to co-ordinate anti-fascist actions through its expansive and ambitious campaigns. The author also demonstrates the close connections between the Communist International and the CMF as a communist front organisation, to provide context for the group’s decision-making and prioritisation of certain campaigns over others. This book will be of interest to scholars of anti-fascism, feminism, women’s history, communism, activism, internationalism, anti-imperialism, and French history. "Anti-Fascism, Gender, and International Communism provides a comprehensive history of the Comité mondial des femmes contre la guerre et le fascisme (CMF), an international women's organisation concerned with confronting the impact of fascism on women and children across the globe. Women played an essential role in the international struggle against fascism during the interwar period, although a focus on the efforts of men and political figures by the historiography has largely overshadowed women's interventions against right-wing dictatorships. Through an examination of the committee's key figures, strategies, connections, and campaigns, this book offers a significant contribution to the histories of both women's activism and anti-fascist activism by positioning the CMF as an important contributor to international political advocacy in the interwar period. Further, the group's association with international communism and the burgeoning Popular Front movement placed the CMF at the forefront of global debates about the threat posed by fascism and imperialism. This book explores how the professional women activists and the working-class women who populated the organisation developed a committee which advocated for women on a global scale. It charts how the CMF utilised a variety of physical spaces and literary formats to co-ordinate anti-fascist actions through its expansive and ambitious campaigns. The author also demonstrates the close connections between the Communist International and the CMF as a communist front organisation, to provide context for the group's decision-making and prioritisation of certain campaigns over others. This book will be of interest to scholars of anti-fascism, feminism, women's history, communism, activism, internationalism, anti-imperialism, and French history"-- Provided by publisher This book provides a comprehensive history of the Comité mondial des femmes contre la guerre et le fascisme (CMF), an international women's organisation concerned with confronting the impact of fascism on women and children across the globe. Women played an essential role in the international struggle against fascism during the interwar period, although a focus on the efforts of men and political figures by the historiography has largely overshadowed women's interventions against right-wing dictatorships. Through an examination of the committee's key figures, strategies, connections, and campaigns, this book offers a significant contribution to the histories of both women's activism and anti-fascist activism by positioning the CMF as an important contributor to international political advocacy in the interwar period. Further, the group's association with international communism and the burgeoning Popular Front movement placed the CMF at the forefront of global debates about the threat posed by fascism and imperialism. This book explores how the professional women activists and the working-class women who populated the organisation developed a committee which advocated for women on a global scale. It charts how the CMF utilised a variety of physical spaces and literary formats to co-ordinate anti-fascist actions through its expansive and ambitious campaigns. The author also demonstrates the close connections between the Communist International and the CMF as a communist front organisation, to provide context for the group's decision-making and prioritisation of certain campaigns over others. This book will be of interest to scholars of anti-fascism, feminism, women's history, communism, activism, internationalism, anti-imperialism, and French history. -- Provided by publisher Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents List of Tables Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Introduction Communist Conceptions of Fascism, 1922–1935 The Amsterdam-Pleyel Movement 1. The Women of the Comité Mondial des Femmes Contre la Guerre et le Fascisme Experimentations and Engagements with Communism Conceptions of Anti-Fascism National and International Activist Connections Conclusion 2. Sites of Anti-Fascist Collaboration and Exchange: CMF Congresses Congress Appeals Delegate Composition The Communist Character of the Congresses Speeches Conclusion 3. The Comité mondial des femmes contre la guerre et le fascisme, the Soviet Union, and the Comintern Personal Communications between the Comité and Soviet Women Anti-Fascist Women as Political Tourists Conclusion 4. The European Campaigns of the Comité mondial des femmes contre la guerre et le fascisme Mujeres and Milicianas: The Spanish Civil War Campaign ‘The Return of the Housewife’: Campaigns against the Nazi Party’s Policies on Women Conclusion 5. The Global Campaigns of the Comité mondial des femmes Contre la Guerre et le fascisme ‘The Long, Endless Ordeal of Our Mothers’: Feminine Approaches to the Italian Invasion of Abyssinia ‘To-day China Is Near Us and So Are Her People’: Responses to the Humanitarian Crises of the Second Sino-Japanese War Conclusion 6. Campaigning on a National Scale Universal Suffrage in France Women’s Right to Work Women’s Reproductive Rights Conclusion 7. Traditional Femininity as a Tool of Women’s Emancipation Advice for the Self Advice for Women as Mothers Conclusion Conclusion Appendix: The CMF’s Political Action Plan for Spain, 1936/1937 Bibliography Index