Prudent Revolutionaries Portraits of British Feminists between the Wars

This is the first major study of the diverse personalities, achievements, and tactics of British feminist leaders of the 1920s and 1930s. Presenting sketches of sixteen prominent but very different feminists, the author examines the breadth and scale of their activities, explains the organizational context and ancestry of feminism between the wars, and underlines the achievements of the feminist movement in advancing women's political, occupational, and family roles at home and abroad. Highlighting the lives of the first generation of voting women in Britain, Prudent Revolutionaries provides an insightful composite portrait of the reforming personality, and of the tactical and strategic dilemmas the reformers faced when trying to operate democratic institutions within a hostile climate.

This is the first major study of the personalities, achievements, and tactics of British feminist leaders between the wars. It brings out the breadth and scale of their activities, and explains their contribution towards broadening women's political, occupational, and family roles at home and abroad. Dr Harrison clarifies the organizational context and ancestry of inter-war feminism through creating a portrait gallery of sixteen prominent but very different feminists. Some (Lady Astor and Ellen Wilkinson, for example) are well-known, but are approached from a new angle; others, equally significant and interesting, are now almost forgotten. Overall, the book provides a composite portrait of the reforming personality, and illuminates the tactical and strategic dilemmas that face the reformer who aims to transform a hostile climate by working through democratic institutions. Drawing on interviews as well as a wide range of manuscript and other sources, Prudent Revolutionaries throws new light on the first generation of women to possess the vote in Britain. It makes a valuable contribution to the social and political history of Britain between the wars.