Soldiers, members of parliament, social activists: the Polish women’s movement after World War I

Abstract

This chapter analyses the social and political activities of the Lithuanian women's organisations in the aftermath of the First World War, and explores how their position was affected by the war itself. It examines women's struggle for independence from the established political parties after 1919. Since both of these issues are under-researched in Lithuania and abroad, the chapter relies mainly on archival and newspaper sources, buttressed by the small number of secondary sources now available. The chapter is based on an analysis of the transcripts of debates in the Constituent Assembly between 1920 and 1922, and in the two subsequent Seimas (Parliaments) between 1922 and 1926, with particular emphasis on the contributions made by women parliamentarians. Keywords:Constituent Assembly; First World War; Lithuanian Women's Movement; political activity; Seimas; women parliamentarians; women struggle