As millions around the world prepare to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) this March, it is important to remember the revolutionary roots of this important day.
International Working Women’s Day has a long revolutionary history dating back to the early 1900s. The first Women’s Day was organized in New York in 1908 by the Socialist Party of America, and two years later, the day took on its international character when comrade Clara Zetkin proposed the adoption of an International Working Women’s Day at the Second International Conference of Socialist Women in Copenhagen. It was at this conference that the month of March was chosen, commemorating historic women’s strikes in March of 1857 and 1867, with the idea that it would be a day for working women across the world to mobilize and fight against capitalist exploitation.
This may shock some, as over the decades many liberal institutions have erased the militant socialist history of this holiday. Instead, IWD is now marketed as a simple celebration of all women, scrubbing away the class struggle at the heart of the day. This removes the important connection between class society and women’s oppression, instead reducing it to a token holiday which corporations can profit from. Even the name, “International Women’s Day,” is in fact a change from the original “International Working Women’s Day”, erasing the class content of the day.
This attempt to whitewash our history is not surprising, as women have historically played a significant, revolutionary role in fighting capitalism. In March 1917, working class women in Russia proved this when in March (February 23rd by the old Russian calendar), they organized a mass strike that would lead to the great February revolution in Russia, overthrowing the Tsar and ultimately setting the stage for the workers seizing power in October of that year.
The oppression and liberation of women is a key question for Marxists. In 2023, violence against women is rampant and goes unresolved. Women continue to face discrimination at work and in their daily lives. The burden of childcare and other domestic tasks is still placed on the backs of working women everywhere. We believe that it is the duty of Marxists to fight for the genuine liberation of women from this oppression, which is connected with the fight for a socialist revolution against all oppression and exploitation that working class people of all backgrounds face. We do this by upholding the genuine revolutionary traditions of International Working Women’s Day, and fighting for a socialist world where women will be free of all oppression, alongside the rest of the working class.
This March, join the Marxists of Fightback across Canada to celebrate this history! We will be participating in marches across the country, as well as holding public discussions on the socialist solution to women’s oppression.
Events & Activities
Toronto
IWD Rally on March 4th
Event: The Revolutionary Roots of International Women’s Day – At Toronto Metropolitan University on March 8
Montreal
French event: Marxism and Women’s Oppression – at Universite de Montreal on March 9th
English event: “How do we end Women’s Oppression?” – at McGill University on March 8th
Women’s Day March – March 8th
Edmonton
IWD rally – March 5th
Vancouver
Event: “International Working Women’s Day” on March 8th
