NARODNA ŽENSKA ZAJEDNICA 1926–1941.
NATIONAL WOMEN’S COMMUNITY 1926-1941

Summary/Abstract: The National Women’s Community was founded in 1926 after the conflicts that began in 1924 in the umbrella women’s society – the National Women’s Union. The reason for the conflict was the dissatisfaction of the management of the Women’s society during the election of the new management of the Union, but also the loss of the privileged position of this association, which was the initiator and founder of the Union in 1906. The conflict took place on several levels, primarily between two different views on the direction and goals in which the women’s movement in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes will move. Numerous currents advocated, among other things, the fight for the right to vote as one of the most important goals, and were feminist in their goals. The other current, more traditional, considered that this was not a priority goal to be fought for. The conflict within the National Women’s Union and the divisions that led to the creation of the National Women’s Community is just another proof of the deep social and even political divisions in the newly established state. A huge number of newly formed societies and associations, not only women’s, led to a complete devaluation of humanitarian and charitable work, and the participants were more concerned about personal promotions than those for which they were declaratively committed. Although the new National Women’s Community was founded, among others, by the three oldest Serbian women’s societies, the former founders of the National Women’s Union, their enthusiasm quickly waned and the Community did not progress or increase membership. After less than four years of work, it was turned into a marginal gathering of societies that appeared more often at celebrations and public events, was present in the capital’s newspapers, but had no real influence.

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