The Women's Peace Crusade

The Women's Peace Crusade was a grass-roots socialist movement that spread across Great Britain between 1916 and 1918. Its central aim was to spread a 'people's peace', which was defined as a negotiated end to the First World War without any annexations or indemnities. The movement was first established in Glasgow in July 1916, and officially launched on 10 June 1917. It later spread across Great Britain, with demonstrations taking place in Leeds, Bradford, Leicester, Birmingham and Lancashire. Although it gathered a substantial following, the Women's Peace Crusade faced opposition from both the government and police, with members being arrested and reportedly threatened.

The Women's Peace Crusade, sometimes referred to as the Women's Peace Negotiation Crusade, originated in Glasgow at a demonstration on 23 July 1916, which drew a crowd of 5,000 people. The demonstration had been organised by Helen Crawfurd, a working class feminist and socialist who had played a significant role in the Glasgow Rent Strike of 1915. The protest came after a letter was published in the Labour Leader condemning the women of Britain for not organising any protests against the war. The first meetings took place in Maryhill and Springburn, and subsequent activities included street meetings, marches, selling badges and distributing literature.

The central demand of the Women's Peace Crusade was to negotiate an immediate end to the First World War, but there were specific aims within this. Literature distributed by the movement stated that it aimed to allow all nations to choose their own form of government, to be fully developed, to access the world's markets and raw materials, and to travel freely. They set themselves against the idea of the right of conquest and forcible annexation, the attempt to retain or increase trade barriers, and any attempt to impose crushing indemnities on any one nation. As well as this, they supported the limitation of armaments and the international organisation of people, aiming to create a common understanding of common interests that they termed 'a people's peace'.

The Women's Peace Crusade was among the largest peace movements in Glasgow during the First World War, and it was also the one with the most working class, grassroots support.

...
Wikipedia