Sylvia Pankhurst

Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst (May 5, 1882 - September 27, 1960) was a campaigner in the suffragette movement in the United Kingdom, and a prominent left communist. Image File history File links Sylvia_Pankhurst_1909. ... Image File history File links Sylvia_Pankhurst_1909. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... September 27 is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Suffragette with banner, Washington DC, 1918 The title of suffragette (also occasionally spelt suffraget) was given to members of the womens suffrage movement in the United Kingdom. ... Left Communism is a term describing a whole range of communist viewpoints which oppose the political ideas of the Bolsheviks from a position which is asserted to be more authentically Marxist and proletarian than the views held by the Communist International after its first two Congresses. ...

She was born in Manchester, England, a daughter of Dr. Richard Pankhurst and Emmeline Pankhurst, members of the Independent Labour Party and much-concerned with women's rights. Her sister, Christabel, would also become an activist. Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough, in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, North West England. ... Dr. Richard Pankhurst (May 1834 - July 5, 1898) was a liberal lawyer and activist and the husband of Emmeline Pankhurst. ... Statue of Emmeline Pankhurst in Victoria Tower Gardens next to the Houses of Parliament, Westminster. ... The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a former political party in the United Kingdom. ... The term women’s rights typically refers to freedoms inherently possessed by women and girls of all ages, which may be institutionalized or ignored and/or illegitimately suppressed by law or custom in a particular society. ... Christabel Pankhurst Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst DBE (September 22, 1880 – February 13, 1958) was a suffragette born in Manchester, England. ...

In 1906 she started to work full-time with the Women's Social and Political Union with her sister Christabel and her mother Emmeline. But in contrast to them she retained her interest in the labour movement. 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU) was the leading militant organization campaigning for womens suffrage in the United Kingdom. ... Christabel Pankhurst Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst DBE (September 22, 1880 – February 13, 1958) was a suffragette born in Manchester, England. ... The labour movement (or labor movement) is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and political governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labor relations. ...

In 1914 she broke with the WSPU over the group's promotion of arson attacks. Sylvia set up the East London Federation of Suffragettes (ELFS), which over the years evolved politically and changed its name accordingly, first to Women's Suffrage Federation and then to the Workers' Socialist Federation. She founded the newspaper of the WSF, Women's Dreadnought, which subsequently became the Workers Dreadnought. Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ... The Workers Socialist Federation was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom, led by Sylvia Pankhurst. ... The Workers Socialist Federation was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom, led by Sylvia Pankhurst. ... The Workers Socialist Federation was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom, led by Sylvia Pankhurst. ... Workers Dreadnought was a newspaper published by variously-named political parties led by Sylvia Pankhurst. ... Workers Dreadnought was a newspaper published by variously-named political parties led by Sylvia Pankhurst. ...

The group continued to move leftwards and briefly adopted the name Communist Party (British Section of the Third International) although in fact it was nothing of the sort. The CP(BSTI) was opposed to parliamentarism in contrast to the views of the newly founded Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). However, such was the importance attached to being within the same movement as the Bolsheviks, the CP(BSTI) dissolved itself into the larger, official Communist Party. The Workers Socialist Federation was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom, led by Sylvia Pankhurst. ... The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist party in the United Kingdom. ...

This unity was to be short-lived and when the leadership of the CPGB proposed that Sylvia hand over the Workers Dreadnought to the party rather than retain it as a personal organ she revolted. As a result she was expelled from the CPGB and moved to found the short-lived Communist Workers Party. The Workers Socialist Federation was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom, led by Sylvia Pankhurst. ...

Sylvia by this time adhered to left or council communism. She was an important figure in the communist movement at the time and attended meetings of the International in Russia and Amsterdam and also meetings of the Italian Socialist Party. She argued with Lenin and was supportive of left communists such as Amadeo Bordiga and Anton Pannekoek. Left Communism is a term describing a whole range of communist viewpoints which oppose the political ideas of the Bolsheviks from a position which is asserted to be more authentically Marxist and proletarian than the views held by the Communist International after its first two Congresses. ... Council communism is a Radical Left movement originating in Germany and the Netherlands in the 1920s. ... Amsterdam Location Flag Country Netherlands Province North Holland Population 741,329 (1 August 2006) Agglomeration - up to 2. ... Vladimir Ilyich Lenin ( Russian: Влади́мир Ильи́ч Ле́нин  listen?), original surname Ulyanov (Улья́нов) ( April 22 (April 10 ( O.S.)), 1870 – January 21, 1924), was a... Amadeo Bordiga (1889 - 1970) was a prominent Italian communist. ... Anton Pannekoek Anton Pannekoek (January 2, 1873 – April 28, 1960) was a Dutch astronomer and Marxist theorist. ...

In the mid-twenties Pankhurst drifted away from communist politics into anti-fascism and anti-colonialism. She responded to the Italian invasion of Ethiopia by publishing The New Times and Ethiopia News from 1936, and became a supporter of Haile Selassie. She raised funds for Ethiopia's first teaching hospital, and wrote extensively on Ethiopian art and culture; her research was eventually published as Ethiopia, a Cultural History (London: Lalibela House, 1955). Having moved to Addis Ababa at Haile Sellassie's invitation, in 1956, with her son, Richard Pankhurst (who continues to live there), she founded a monthly journal, Ethiopia Observer, which reported on many aspects of Ethiopian life and development. 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Haile Selassie Haile Selassie (Power of Trinity) (July 23, 1892 – August 27, 1975) was the last Emperor (1930–1936; 1941–1974) of Ethiopia, and is a religious symbol in the Rastafarian movement. ... Addis Ababa cityscape Addis Ababa (sometimes spelled Addis Abeba, the spelling used officially by the Ethiopian Mapping Institute; Amharic አዲስ አበባ, Ä€ddÄ«s Ä€bebā new flower; Oromo Finfinne) is the capital city of Ethiopia and the African Union, as well as its predecessor, the OAU. As a chartered city (ras gez astedader... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

She died in 1960, and was given a full state funeral at which Haile Selassie named her 'an honorary Ethiopian'. She is the only foreigner buried in front of Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, the area reserved for patriots of the Italian war.

Writings (selection)

Part of the Politics series on Left Communism

Basic concepts Internationalism Class Consciousness Class Struggle Mass Strike Workers Council World Revolution Communism Politics is the process by which groups make decisions. ... Left Communism is a term describing a whole range of communist viewpoints which oppose the political ideas of the Bolsheviks from a position which is asserted to be more authentically Marxist and proletarian than the views held by the Communist International after its first two Congresses. ... Image File history File links Sickle. ... International Socialism redirects here. ... Class consciousness is a category of Marxist theory, referring to the self-awareness of a social class, its capacity to act in its own rational interests, or measuring the extent to which an individual is conscious of the historical tasks their class (or class allegiance) sets for them. ... Class struggle is class conflict looked at from a Marxist, libertarian socialist, or anarchist perspective. ... A general strike is a strike action by an entire labour force in a city, region or country. ... A workers council is a council, or deliberative body, composed of working class or proletarian members. ... World revolution is a Marxist concept of a violent overthrow of capitalism that would take place in all countries, although not necessarily simultaneously. ... Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a classless, stateless social organization, based upon common ownershipmovement]]. Early forms of human social organization have been described as primitive communism by Marxists. ... Influential Figures Marx · Engels Luxemburg · Rühle Bordiga · Damen Gorter . Pannekoek Myasnikov · Korsch Pankhurst · Rubel Appel · Chirik Mattick · Munis Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818, Trier, Germany – March 14, 1883, London) was a German philosopher, political economist, and revolutionary. ... Friedrich Engels (November 28, 1820, Wuppertal – August 5, 1895, London), a 19th-century German political philosopher, developed communist theory alongside his better-known collaborator, Karl Marx, co-authoring The Communist Manifesto (1848). ... Rosa Luxemburg Rosa Luxemburg (March 5, 1870 or 1871 – January 15, 1919, in Polish Róża Luksemburg) was a Polish-born German Marxist political theorist, socialist philosopher, and revolutionary. ... Otto Rühle (1874 - 1943) was a German Left Communist active in opposition to both the First and Second World Wars, and a founder with along with Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg, Franz Mehring and others of the group and magazine Internationale, which posed a revolutionary internationalism against a world of... Amadeo Bordiga (1889 - 1970) was a prominent Italian communist. ... Onorato Damen (4 December 1893 - 14 October 1979), was an Italian left communist revolutionary who was first active in the Communist Party of Italy. ... Herman Gorter (born Wormerveer, Netherlands, 1864) was a late 19th century and early 20th century Dutch poet and Socialist. ... Anton Pannekoek Antonie (Anton) Pannekoek (January 2, 1873, Vaassen – April 28, 1960, Wageningen) was a Dutch astronomer and Marxist theorist. ... Gavril Ilyich Myasnikov (1889-1945), also transliterated as Gavriil Ilich Miasnikov, was a Russian metalworker from the Urals, who participated in the Revolution of 1905 and became a Bolshevik underground activist in 1906. ... Karl Korsch (August 15, 1886 - October 21, 1961) was a German Marxist theorist. ... Maximilien Rubel (1905 in Chernivtsi - 1996 in Paris) was famous Marxist historian. ... We dont have an article called Jan Appel Start this article Search for Jan Appel in. ... Mark Chirik (1907-1990) born in Russia. ... Paul Mattick (1904-1981): Born in Pomerania in 1904 and raised in Berlin by class conscious parents, Mattick was already at the age of 14 a member of the Spartacists Freie Sozialistische Jugend. ... Grandizo Munis (1912-1989) was a Spanish politician. ... Prominent Organizations Communist Workers International International Communist Party International Communist Current International Bureau The Communist Workers International (German: Kommunistische Arbeiter-Internationale, KAI) or Fourth Categories: ... The Socialist Equality Party is the name of several branches of the Trotskyist International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), the largest being in the United States. ... The International Communist Current is a centralised international left communist organisation with sections throughout the world. ... The International Bureau for the Revolutionary Party is an international tendency whose member organisations identify with the Italian left communist tradition. ... Related Subjects Luxemburgism Council communism Ultra leftism Libertarian Marxism Anarchist communism Autonomism Situationist International Luxemburgism (also written Luxembourgism) is a specific revolutionary theory within communism, based on the writings of Rosa Luxemburg. ... Council communism is a Radical Left movement originating in Germany and the Netherlands in the 1920s. ... Ultra-leftism is a term used initially to the Ultra Left current of Marxist communism closely related to council communism and left communism and, later, to identify and criticise positions, especially by those within the mainstream historical Marxist parties, to describe a position which is adopted without taking notice of... Libertarian Marxism is a school of Marxism that takes a less authoritarian view of Marxist theory than conventional currents such as Stalinism, Trotskyism, and other forms of Marxism-Leninism, as well as a generally less reformist view than do Social Democrats. ... Anarchist communism is a form of anarchism that advocates the abolition of the State and capitalism in favor of a horizontal network of voluntary associations through which everyone will be free to satisfy his or her needs. ... For other meanings of autonomism, see autonomism (disambiguation) page Raised fist, stenciled protest symbol of Autonome at the Ernst-Kirchweger-Haus in Vienna, Austria Autonomism refers to a set of left-wing political and social movements and theories close to the socialist movement. ... The Situationist International (SI), an international political and artistic movement, originated in the Italian village of Cosio dArroscia on 28 July 1957 with the fusion of several extremely small artistic tendencies: the Lettrist International, the International movement for an imaginist Bauhaus, and the London Psychogeographical Association. ...

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• The Home Front (First published 1932 - reissued 1987 by The Cresset Library) ISBN 0-09-172911-4
• Soviet Russia as I saw it,wolfsburg

 1921 

• The Suffragette Movement: An Intimate Account of Persons and Ideals, Reissued 1984 by Chatto & Windus
• A Sylvia Pankhurst Reader, ed. by Kathryn Dodd, Manchester University Press 1993

Secondary literature

• Barbara Castle, Sylvia and Christabel Pankhurst (Penguin Books, 1987) ISBN 0-14-008761-3
• Mary Davis, Sylvia Pankhurst (Pluto Press, 1999) ISBN 0-7453-1518-6
• Richard Pankhurst, Sylvia Pankhurst: Artist and Crusader, An Intimate Portrait (Virago Ltd, 1979) ISBN 0-448-22840-8
• Richard Pankhurst, Sylvia Pankhurst: Counsel for Ethiopia, Hollywood, Calif. : (Tsehai, 2003). London : Global
• Martin Pugh, The Pankhursts (Penguin Books 2002)
• Patricia W. Romero, E. Sylvia Pankhurst. Portrait of a Radical (New Haven and London: Yale University Press 1987)
• Barbara Winslow, Sylvia Pankhurst: Sexual Politics and Political Activism (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996) ISBN 0-312-16268-5

See also

• Pankhurst Centre in Manchester

The Pankhurst Centre in Manchester provides a women-only space that creates a unique environment in which women can learn together, work on projects and socialise. ...

External links

• Sylvia Pankhurst - a biography page from Spartacus Educational
• Sylvia Pankhurst Archive - in the libcom.org library
• Communism or Reforms two articles by Sylvia Pankhurst and Anton Pannekoek, first published in the Workers Dreadnought in 1922. First published as a pamphlet in 1974 by Workers Voice, a Communist group based in Liverpool.
• Three pamphlets detailing the work of Sylvia Pankhurst as an anti-Bolshevik Communist Anti-Parliamentarism and Communism in Britain, 1917-1921 by R. F. Jones, Anti-Parliamentary Communism: The Movement for Workers Councils in Britain,Class War on the Home Front