Lydia and Anne sit down with Daria Dyakonova to discuss the often neglected history of the Communist Women’s Movement (1920-22). They talk about the origins of the movement, its most important figures, the debates around what the base of the CWM would be, and what would be the main issues it tackled, its changing relationship to the Comintern and its recurring fight against male chauvinism within the communist and broader workers movement. The discussion finishes with the slow eclipse of the CWM until its final demise and how that affected the future generations of communist women. Daria and Mike Taber have an upcoming book on this topic through Brill’s Historical Materialism series.
Other resources: Interview with Daria and Mike Taber on the CWM, and their upcoming book on it.
The Communist Women’s Movement – John Riddell
