Clara Zetkin: The Pioneering Feminist Who Shaped History

 

Clara Zetkin: The Pioneering Feminist Who Shaped History

Clara Zetkin

Clara Zetkin was a German feminist leader.She was always trying to earn equal rights for women.She was the proponent of International Women's Day.

Born: 

5th July 1857,in Staxen,a small village in Germany.Her family name was Clara Eisner.She later married and matched her husband's name to Clara Zetkin. 

Identity of parents:

Clara's father's name was Gottfried Eisner and mother's name was Josephine Eisner.Father was a school master.She also belonged to the Protestant Church and was a violinist.Mother Josephine was an educated and progressive woman of that time.She was a women's advocate.They were three siblings.Clara was the eldest. 

Childhood and education:

Klara lived with her parents in the small village of Strassen in Germany.Both his parents were educated.Due to father being a violinist,violin playing was always practiced at home.Clara's mother always spoke to Clara about women's rights.But Clara could see that women were backward in almost every way.Women are being discriminated against in every field.But none of them are protesting.Rather,they are enduring these injustices against them with their faces closed.

 Even then most women did not go to school.Clara's parents were educated so they enrolled Clara in school.She completed his high school at Leipzig Teachers College. 

Clara's will:

While in school,he wanted to be a teacher.She finds it more important than being a teacher to work against all injustices against women.So he withdrew from this decision to become a teacher. 

Join the organization:

Around 1874 he became involved with various organizations.Which mainly worked for the rights of women and workers.In 1878, she joined the Socialist Workers Party of Germany to work for women.This group was formed out of two groups.The General German Workers' Party (SPD) led by Ferdinand Lassalle and the Sociological Workers' Party of Germany led by August Babel and Wilhelm Leibnecht.Together these two parties formed the Socialist Workers Party of Germany. 

 Zetkin was in Zurich in 1878 when Bismarck imposed an anti-socialist emergency law and a ban on socialist activities in Germany.That was the year 1882.Later he was exiled from Zurich to Paris. In 1890,the name of the German Communist Coalition was changed to the Social Progressive faction of Germany. 

 While working for ladies' privileges in Paris,she tracked down many individuals as individual contenders close by. Rosa Luxemburg was one of them. She was with Clara in each development. Clara and Rosa's consolidated exercises are the ladies' development and the freedom development of the average workers. She succeeded to spread the liberation movement all over the world.While in Parris,he met two people who helped him a lot in the movement.A Marx Lara and her husband Paul Grafer. 

Movement of 1857:

On March 8,1857,about 15,000 women workers of a yarn factory located in the city of New York,United States,took to the streets.Because they were not getting their wages properly.Although working hours were longer,they were paid less than male workers.So they started agitating against wage discrimination,working hours and every other discrimination that comes with them.But the police batoned them to resist their movement. 

Return to Germany:

Later he returned to Germany. 

In 1907 her party Social Democratic Party of Germany founded the Women's Office.Then he took the leadership of this department.That same year,women representatives came from different parts of the world and a conference was held.There was strong criticism of the injustice done to women workers in New York .

The conference was again held in Copenhagen in 1910 About hundred women representatives from 17 countries attended there.At that time he proposed the first Women's Day.And he also said that every country of the world should celebrate this day on 7th March.Congress Clara accepted this proposal.She then recognized March 7 as International Women's Day.Which later became known as International Women's Day.When World War 2 started, the government of that country ordered that no party could hold any movement.But Clara protested this announcement. 

Marriage: 

She married her friend Osip Zetkin.Osip Zetkin was a Russian Marxist.The Russian government expelled him from Russia.In 1883,their first child,Maxim Zetkin,and a few years later,their second child,Konstantin,were born.Osip died of tuberculosis in 1889.She then married the artist Georg Friedrich Jündel.Friedrich was 18 years younger than Clara. In family life,she spent his days in poverty.But still he did not withdraw from any movement. 

Magazine editing: 

In 1891 Clara published a magazine. The magazine was called Equality.This magazine played an important role in the women's awakening all over the world apart from Germany.The second son, Constantine,helped his mother publish the magazine.From 1891-1917,Clara served as editor of the paper.

Interview with Lenin:

In 1920 he interviewed Lenin.The title of the interview was The Women's Question.There he asked various questions about women's empowerment,women's role in the struggle for social progress and women's liberation. 

working life: 

When she was 21 years she was a member of the Social Democratic Party in Germany.She also received membership of the Communist Party of Germany in 1924.In 1915 she organized the anti-war movement of socialist women.In his efforts the pro- Spartacus league was established in 1916 .She was a member of the Communist International from 1921-1933.In 1925 he was elected president of the German left organization Rote Hilfe.In 1932,as a senior member,she held the position of Chair-woman of the Rachstag.The German Democratic Party was banned when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1932.In 1933 he moved to the Soviet Union.

Another Picture of Clara Zetkin

Death:

She passed away on June 20,1930 at the age of 75,in Moscow.Her body was buried in the Kremlin.

Clara Zetkin was a noble woman.Who was vocal in protecting women's rights throughout his life.In spite of many hurdles,she has moved for women's rights.And the benefits of which are being enjoyed by women in almost all countries of the world today.

Written by:Digidesk Team

Date & Time:7/5/23 11:08 AM