Women in Nationalist and Socialist Revolutions

1
Women in Nationalist and Socialist Revolutions

• What do we mean by nationalist
  revolutions?Revolutions that are not imposed by
  outside ideologies and create changes that a wide
  group (although not necessarily all) agree with
• Usually occur after independence in Latin
  Americain the 20th century
• Countries with Nationalist Revolutions in Latin
  America Mexico, 1910 Argentina, 1946 Bolivia,
  1952

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Mexico, 1910

• No direct feminist leadership. Leaders included
  Francisco Madero, Venustiano Carranza, Alvaro
  Obregón, Pancho Villa, Emilio Zapata
• Revolution began in 1910 and lasted 20 years with
  many casualties and tremendous violence and
  unrest
• Men were perceived to be more feminist than
  women. Carranza passed the Family Laws in 1914
  which permitted divorce, shared patria potestad
• Feminist men also seen on local level
• Prime example, Felipe Carillo Puerto, governor of
  state of Yucatán from 1922 until his death in
  1924

3
Modern Mexico
4
Felipe Carrillo Puerto

• Came from a working class background
• Learned Mayan language
• Supported earlier revolutionary governors
• Believed in land reform and feminism

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Carrillo Puertos revolutionary ideas

• Gave women suffrage
• Passed a divorce law
• Encouraged the idea of birth control
• Created feminist leagues
• Promoted revolutionary tribunals

6
Feminism in Yucatán

• Traditionally seen as more conservative than the
  men
• Led by Elvira Carrillo Puerto, sister of the
  governor and known as the Red Nun
• Began organizing in 1912 and was influenced by an
  anarchist priestbegan reading about women
  revolutionaries
• First woman to be elected to the provincial
  legislature but had to resign after death
  threats-1922 one of two women elected
• Supported the rights of single mothers
• Died in 1968 at age of 90

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What about poor women?

• Took advantage of revolutionary tribunals and the
  right to divorce
• Began complaining of spousal abuse
• After 1924 more conservative governors made it
  difficult for local women to obtain divorces
• Became harder for foreigners to get divorces
  there after 1924

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Other feminist revolutionary activities in Mexico

• Feminist Congresses in Yucatan in 1916
• First feminist meetings in all of Mexico
• Mayan women could not attendstandard set by 6
  grade education
• Women involved in literacy projects during the
  revolution and in the 30s
• After the revolution more womens organizations
  developed in Mexico Cityincluded motherist
  movements as well as feminist organizations
• Women also join anti-feminist religious movements
  like Cristero Rebellion 1926 to protect the
  Church

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Other images of Revolutionary Women--Adelita
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Were there lasting benefits for women as a result
of the Mexican Revolution?

• Most women didnt know they could share patria
  potestad
• Female education for the poor began in 1930s, not
  during the revolution
• Women didnt get national suffrage until the 1953
• There have been few powerful female politicians
• Birth control not a national necessity until 1974

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Argentina, 1946

• Election of Juan Perón as president
• First president supported by the workers as well
  as by the military
• First open election in Argentina since 1930
• Feminists did not back Perón
• They certainly did not consider his wife Eva
  Perón to be a feminist, and she did not define
  herself as such

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Modern Argentina
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Politics shared by husband and wife
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Juans role

• Help political office
• Controlled the workers and the military
• Defined the legislative agenda
• Had political legitimacy
• Used charisma and his office to advance his
  political agendas

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Evitas role

• Defined herself as a bridge of love between the
  people and Perón
• Used female imagery to define powerclothing and
  jewels showed how other women could have social
  mobility if she could
• Supported Peróns support for female
  suffrage-obtained 1947
• Created the Womens Peronist Party under her
  leadership in 1949 to promote the popularity of
  Perón
• Founded her own charity organization the Eva
  Perón Foundation to limit the power of the
  elitist Sociedad de Beneficencia

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How did women benefit from Peronism?

• Female literacy began to expand
• Universities open to free admission for both men
  and women
• Women received same pay as men
• Women could vote after 1947
• Women had a female role model in a position of
  influence, if not authority
• Evas presence began to diminish after she became
  ill with cancer and had to forgo running for
  Vice-President with Perón in 1952 electionsdied
  that year

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Modern Bolivia
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Bolivian Revolution 1952

• First Latin American revolution since World War
  II
• Beginning of Cold War Era
• All of this had little to do with conditions in
  Bolivia or with feminismFirst wave of feminism
  in Latin America ended around 1940
• Led by a mixture of disgruntled army officers,
  oppressed tin miners, unhappy politicians and
  intellectuals
• Wanted to incorporate the disenfranchised
  indigenous population, expropriate the tin mines,
  end feudal Indian obligationsalmost nothing said
  about womens rights

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What benefits did the Bolivian revolution bring
to women?

• Helped indigenous women as well as men
• Gave women female suffrage in 1952
• Enabled Lydia Gueiler Tejada to become Bolivias
  first President from 1979-80. She had been a
  national deputy and president of the Chamber of
  Deputies. She was deposed in 1980.

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Women and Revolutionary governments

• How do we define revolutionary movements?
  Political movements intent upon a radical change
  in government and society
• Since the Cold War also defined in terms of
  attachment to ideologies Socialist, Marxist,
  etc.
• One of best examples Cuban Revolution of 1959-
• Fidel Castro overthrew Fulgencio Batista, a
  dictator long supported by the United States and
  has remained head of state ever since.

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Modern Cuba
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Women and the Cuban Revolution

• Cuban women participated in the 1959 revolution
  as leaders and guerrilla fighters.
• Most of the women who helped lead the revolution
  did not live to take part in its later phases.
• Women organized into the Cuban Womens Federation
  and they represent women
• Cuban Family Law 1975 attempted to deal with
  patriarchy
• Until recently, few Cuban women with children
  worked outside the home

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Che Guevara on Women

• Wrote that women were essential to the
  development of the revolutionary tasks
• The women is capable of performing the most
  difficult tasks, of fighting beside the men
  andshe does not create conflicts of a sexual
  type in the troops.
• Most important role was to provide communication
  by slipping in unnoticed by the enemy.
• Women should have a central role in promoting
  revolutionary schools

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Che Guevara on Women and Revolution, cont.

• The woman plays an important part in medical
  matters as nurse, and even as doctor, with a
  gentleness infinitely superior to that of her
  rude companion in arms, a gentleness that is so
  much appreciated at moments when a man is
  helpless, without comforts, perhaps suffering
  severe pain.
• Once the stage of creating small war industries
  has begun, the woman can also contribute here,
  especially in the manufacture of uniforms, a
  traditional employment of women in Latin American
  countries. With a simple sewing machine and a
  few patterns she can perform marvels.

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Womens Benefits from the Cuban Revolution

• Free medical care and education for women and
  their children
• Until 1998 highest proportion of women serving as
  legislators in Chambers of Deputies
• Women able to serve in public and private
  professions except in Cuban Cabinet.

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Women in Latin American Legislatures to 1998
27
Modern Nicaragua
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Background on Nicaraguan Revolution

• Nicaragua had been occupied several times by US
  troops during the early 20th century
• Opposition led by Agusto Sandino, early
  revolutionary who began to become active in 1926.
  Killed by Somoza troops in 1934.
• Connected with Communist Party
• Became hero of pro-revolutionary forces in
  Nicaragua in 1970s who opposed Somozas son,
  particularly after the 1974 earthquake

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Agusto Sandino
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Women in the Nicaraguan Revolution

• Approximately 1/3 of all combatants were female,
  including leadership
• Women like Daisy Zamora became leaders in the
  post-Revolution government as Vice-Minister of
  Government
• Also a noted painter, poet and psychologist
• Monica Baltodano became Guerrilla Commander of
  Nicaraguan forces and later served as legislator
  as late as the 1990s

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Violeta Chamorro, UNO, and the Conservative
Response

• Became president in elections that overthrew the
  Sandino rebel leaders

• Widow of influential anti-Somoza newspaper owner
• Ran his paper after 1978
• Originally part of Sandinista government
• Eventually opposed them and won as opposition
  president 1990-1996

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Daisy Zamora and Monica Baltodano