Droga polskich kobiet do politycznego równouprawnienia i udziału w wyborach parlamentarnych II Rzeczypospolitej (na tle europejskim przełomu XIX i XX w.)
Polish Women’s Path to Political Equality and Participation in the Parliamentary Elections of the Second Polish Republic (Against the Background of Europe at the Turn of the 20th Century)

Summary/Abstract: At the beginning of the 20th century, only two European countries, Finland and Norway, had women’s suffrage; yet, twenty years later women enjoyed political rights in over a dozen countries. The factors which accelerated that process in Europe included revolutions, the WWI, and the establishment of new states. Moreover, what played a significant role was the rise of suffragette organisations as well as women’s participation in the national independence movements. The above factors also had an impact on the Polish feminist movement, the development of which, however, manifests certain uniqueness, due to Poland’s political conditions of the time, arising from the absence of independent statehood. Firstly, Polish women’s involvement in pro-independence activity delayed the formation of the Polish feminist movement, as the patriotic cause overshadowed the issue of their gender discrimination. Secondly, at that time, Polish feminists’ activities were perceived as weakening the sense of national community, since the feminist movement itself was seen as supranational, and thus competing with the national independence struggle.

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