The Agitator the Agitator

THE AGITATOR THE AGITATOR THE COMMUNIST WORKERS PARTY OF AUSTRALIA • Letters to the Editor • International • Trotskyism Vs Women’s Day: What Marxism-Leninism Kind of Feminism? • US Styled • Serious Body Blows to Democracy and the Coal Mining Popularism Industry Paris Commune The Aerowagon • • Celebrates 150 Years Crash of 1921 • Inessa Armand Celia Sanchez • • BNO’s Not Recognised in Hong Kong MARCH ISSUE 2021 IN THIS ISSUE: News: International Women’s Day: What Kind of Feminism? Page 2 Serious Body Blows to the Coal Mining Industry. Page 9 Paris Commune Celebrates 150 years page 11 THE Inessa Armand page 12 AGITATOR National Security Law Implementation BNO’s not ISSUE NUMBER: 3 recognized-Hong Kong March 2021 page 13 THE COMMUNIST Letters to the Editor page 15 WORKERS PARTY OF Theory & Practice AUSTRALIA Trotskyism Vs Marxism- PO. BOX 367 HAMILTON, NSW Leninism page 16 2303, U.S Styled Democracy and Popularism page 17 PHONE: 0401824386 History in Action Email: [email protected] The Aerowagon Crash of 1921 page 22 Celia Sanchez page 24 Membership page 25 Editor: Brenda Kellaway 1 Page International Women’s Day: In 1910 it was a well- known German What• kind of Feminism? Communist, by the name of Clara Zetkin, the leader of the Women’s By Brenda Kellaway office for the Social Democratic Party On the 18th of December 1894, the South in Germany, who tabled the idea of an Australian Parliament passed the International Women’s Day at the Second International Conference of constitutional Amendment: Adult Suffrage Act, which meant for the first Working Women in Copenhagen. The time ever, women were allowed, not only proposal was unanimously supported to vote, but also to stand for parliament. from over one hundred women In 1902 Australia became one of the first representing seventeen countries. nations to introduce equal federal suffrage after New Zealand. This was the result of campaigning by women’s groups and individuals for decades. However, in spite of these early ground-breaking advancements, it wasn’t until another 41 years later, in 1943, that the first female politicians were elected to into parliament in Australia. However, this is information you can gain from most mainstream sources of information, articles or textbooks, you may even easily source some information about some famous Australian women in Above: Clara Zetkin this regard, however, a good part of the The first International Women’s history in the struggle for Women’s rights Day was held the following year on both in Australia, and overseas, is often March 19th in many countries, the missing. What you won’t easily source in largest initial protest attracting over any mainstream textbook or information thirty thousand women. In 1913, are the efforts made by Communists International Women’s Day was worldwide to further advance the rights of moved to the 8th of March and has women, these efforts particularly made by remained that day ever since. Communist women. However, the advancement of Below: IWD Melbourne 2021 women’s rights was not only supported by one female Communist, but by thousands of Communists worldwide including in Australia. 2 Page It is important to understand that the The working women, who aspire to social equality, expect nothing demands, made by the early fighters for their emancipation from the for women’s rights, connected to bourgeois women’s movement, International Women’s Day and other which allegedly fights for the actions, were important issues for rights of women. That edifice is working class women. Early demands built on sand and has no real were equal opportunities and women’s basis. Working women are suffrage, the right for women to work absolutely convinced that the outside of the home and for improved question of the emancipation of working conditions and pay. In women is not an isolated February 1913 to celebrate question which exists in itself, International Woman’s Day Russian but part of the great social Bolshevik women marched to protest question. They realize perfectly poor living conditions, high rents and clear that this question can never be solved in contemporary food prices and widespread layoffs. society, but only after a complete Other Communist leaders, including social transformation.” well known male Communist leaders like V.I Lenin, actively supported the In other words, Clara Zetkin saw that th women’s movement and on March 4 the emancipation of women from the 1920 in the newspaper Pravda Lenin discrimination they faced and the poor stated: conditions women were subjected, as ‘It is said that the level of culture is closely connected to the emancipation best characterised by the legal status of the working class and that the issues of women…’ important to working class women also impact and are important to the However, Zetkin, and other well- working class in general. known Communist feminists, were well aware that the rights of women were closely connected to other class Below Clara Zetkin and Rosa Luxemburg issues and that there was a great deal of difference between ‘bourgeois feminism’ of upper-class women and the issues facing working class women. She recognised that women of the bourgeoisie, the upper classes had vastly different objectives to the working class. She was opposed to ‘bourgeois feminism’ and correctly saw it as a tool to divide the unity of the working classes. In a speech 3 Zetkin delivered to the Second Page International in 1899 she stated: Clara Zetikin and other Communist women both overseas and in Australia were also strongly opposed to needless imperialist wars. At an International Women’s Peace conference Switzerland During the period of the First World War Zetikin stated: Who profits from this war? Only a tiny minority in each nation: The manufacturers of rifles and cannons, of armor-plate and torpedo boats, the Above Eva Bacon shipyard owners and the suppliers of the In the 1950’s a union of left women armed forces' needs. In the interests of was formed called the Union of their profits, they have fanned the hatred Australian Women, a founding member among the people, thus contributing to the of which was Eva Bacon, a then outbreak of the war. The workers have Communist Party of Australia member nothing to gain from this war, but they who was also closely associated with stand to lose everything that is dear to Jessie Street and Oodergeroo ’ them. Noonuccal (Kath Walker.) The Union In other words, issues such as Peace, of Australian Women (UAW) was important to the working class as a whole, established at a conference in Sydney in were also important to working class August 1950. The New South Wales women and of great concern to them as branch was the first to be formed, with they and their families were immediately other state branches forming in quick impacted by needless wars economically succession. The state branches came and socially and via the loss of family together in 1956 to establish a national members. organisation The Union of Australian Women and members included Communists, Labor Party supporters, Christian activists, and members of the New Housewives' Association. The first president of this organisation was the Communist Party of Australia member Freda Brown. Many of the early Australian feminists 4 were also Communists including the Page suffragette Adela Pankhurst and Katherine Susannah Prichard amongst many others. Freda Brown second from left in East Berlin Early goals of the UAW included improving the status of women and children, Z disarmament and a halt to nuclear testing and mining, equal distribution of wealth, increased welfare services, equal pay for women, equality for Indigenous Australians, abortion law reform, and opposition to the White Australia Policy. Above: Zelda D’ Aprano She was eventually cut fee by police but ten days later on 31st of October she was joined by Alva Geikie and Thelma Above :Faith Bandler Solomon and they chained themselves to the Arbitration Court where the Equal Pay Faith Bandler was also a member of the Case was dismissed. This led many Communist Party and the Union of women to take more militant action on Australian Women and together with Pearl their path to equal pay. The next year Gibbs, Oddergeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker) these three women founded the Women’s and Dulcie Flower they started the movement Action Committee which jump started the for the Advancement of Aborigines. Faith Women’s Liberation Movement in Bandler was particularly known for her Melbourne. leadership in the campaign for the 1967 referendum on Aboriginal Australians. In the referendum Australians voted These women founded the Women's overwhelmingly to amend the Constitution to Liberation Centre on Little Latrobe Street allow the Commonwealth to make laws in 1972. The Women's Action Committee for Aboriginal people and include them in the kept going and grew. They were known to have travelled around Melbourne paying census. only 75% of the fares, stating that it was because women were only given 75% of In 1959 in Australia, the Communist Zelda the wage of men at the time. The D’Aprano was shop steward for the Hospital Committee helped arrange the first pro- Employees Federation Number 2. Later in choice rally in around 1975. 1969 Zelda worked in the AMIEU union that was being used as a test case for the Equal pay in Australia. Zelda and several other In Sydney it was a group of Communist women apparently waited as the Equal Pay women and others who met in the Domain, in Glebe and Balmain and other 5 Case was being decided in the Arbitration places that kicked off the Sydney Court. After the case failed on October 1969 Page Women’s Liberation Movement.

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