'Til woman cometh unto her own' : a comparative analysis of American woman suffragist ideology to Marxism, 1848-1920

Abstract

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels penned the "Communist Manifesto" in 1848, a period of immense political, economic, and social upheaval. Industrialization spurred urbanization and created a new social structure of capitalists and workers. The inequalities fostered by this new social order spurred the development of socialism, which argued for egalitarianism and a classless society. These socialist arguments of inequality struck a chord with feminists and suffragists in later decades, and highlighted the political and social oppression women faced within a patriarchal society. The women's movement emerged in response to the societal repression of women intellectually, politically, and socially. The suffrage movement further illustrated this discontent, as women unified and demanded the right to vote. While some suffragists called for a complete overhaul of the social system, others concentrated solely on the right to join the ballot. This split inevitably led to fissures within the movement, but nevertheless, by 1920, American women could vote. Without the influence of socialist ideals and principles, the women's movement and woman suffrage would have lacked an appeal to the general public for the equality of a repressed segment of society akin to Marx's and Engels' call for the liberation of the proletariat, or working class, from the bourgeoisie, or capitalists. Taken together, Marxism and woman suffrage demonstrates the propensity for an oppressed group to strive for the improvement of their conditions, whether through a utopian vision or the adaptation of these visions to social realities in order to obtain these goals. Marxism proved a powerful influence in shaping American movements that demanded equality, but never infiltrated the government due to the diverse ethnic groups and social conditions within American society.