The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1932-03-04
Friday, March 4. 1882
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S
DAY

tional Women's Day we have brief summary of
the development of the proletarian struggle for
the emancipation of the women of the working
class. The celebration of this day which was
iginaly based on the equal rights" and "votes
for women" slogans in the United States has be-
come mobilization of the toiling masses turnout
the world for the struggle against the special OPP
preston that the working class woman suffers
under capitalism, and for the struggle against
hunger and imperialst
At the Socialist Women's Conference held in
the United States in 1908 it was decided to set
aside special day for agitation and propaganda
among women. The two resolutions which were
passed at that conference showed the confusion
with which the struggle for the emancipation of
the working class woman was surrounded. The
first resolution which was passed under the pres
sure of the more class conscious elements at the
conference stated: "That the American Socialist
Women must carry on a fight for equal rights
independent of the feminists-thru the unions and
political organizations of the working class"
The second resolution passed at the confer
ence, expressing sympathy with the feminist
movement and wishing them success in their
fight for equal rights" undermined the proletari
kernel which lay at the basis of the first res
olution, namely, That the struggle for the eman-
cipatiOn of the working class women is part of
the class struggle Of the working class as a
whole.
In 1910 at the Second International Confer
ence of Women held in Copenhagen it was decid-
ed on the motion of Clara Zetkin, veteran fighter
IN the ranks of the German working class, that
March be set aside as International Women's
Day. The German delegation of which Clara let
kin was member pointed out the proletarian
basis of the struggle for the emancipation of wo-
men. The delegation made it clear that the strug-
gle for political rights the struggle for the right
vote carried by the wives of the bourgeoisie,
the suffragettes, was not an end in itself, and
that the emancipation of women could only be a
chieved by the social revolution
The resolution and the speeches of the Rus
SIAN delegation at the international Women's Con-
held in Berne, Switzerland, in 1916 point
ed out clearly that, "the liberation of women can
only be achieved thru united effort of the work
ing class, thru the overthrow of the capitalist
system" This resolution which was introduced
under the leadership of Lenin was rejected by the
conference as being too revolutionary.
The Second International, the Socialist Inter
national betrayed the international struggle of
the working class women as it did the entire
struggle of the working class against capitalism
This Second International, which led the workers
of every capitalist country into the shambles of
the World War, practically did away with Inter
national Womens Day as a day of proetarian
class struggle in the years 1914 to 1917.
It was the working class women of Russia,
under the leadership of the Bolsheviks, who in
fused International Women's Day with the breath
of working class mass struggle against Oppres-
sion, misery and war. On March 8, 1917 the wo-
workers of the Putiov munition factory in
Petrograd (nOw Leningrad) marched out on the
Ii
dreds of other women rallied, demanding 'fbread
and the return of their men-folk from the battle
front"
1t is under the leadership of the Communist
International that international Women's Day
has since 1920 become day of world wide strug-
gle against imperialist exploitation and war;
The celebration of international Women's
Day this year is the mobilization of the toiling
masses to smash the attack that is being made
against the working class women. Among the
IL million unemployed workers in the United
States are included millions of working women.
The wages of the working women have been cut
as sharply, if not more sharply than those Of the
men workers.
The capitalist class which offers the men
workers slop the starvation lines of the chart
ties offers to the daughters of the workers and Of
the farmers-prostitution. The growth of pros
uu1ulS IAe present Crisis Is the answer OF
the capitalist class to the misery of the working
class women, wives and daughters of the workers
and farmers.
The wife of the unemployed and part time
worker and of the small farmer sees her children
weakening under the strain of undernourishment
weakening under starvation diet She sees hel
children made the ready victims of disase. This
the misery for the working women under capital
ISM
Against this the steady improvement of tn,
conditions of women Of the Soviet Union stands
out like CLEAN of light against the black degre
dation into which the working class women O
the capitalist world being forced The com
pletion of the Five-Year Plan in four years il
the land where the workers and farmers hol
power has meant tremendous gains in the livin
standards of the working class women. TIL
thousands Of communal dining rooms laundries
childrens homes and nurseries have freed million