Bertha Braunthal was a founder of the German Communist Party and central figure of its Women’s Secretariat. A delegate to the to both 1921’s Second International Conference of communist Women and the Comintern’s Third World Congress, this is her report on the German movement.

‘The German Communist Women’s Movement’ by Bertha Braunthal from Moscow. No. 10. June 4, 1921.

The National Women’s Secretariat of the United Communist Party of Germany has submitted a detailed report to the Second International Women’s Conference, from which we are pleased to learn that the Communist Women’s movement in Germany has made tremendous strides since the Unity Congress of December 1920. Between 10% and 20%, i.e. about 50,000 members of the party, are women. They are not satisfied, as is the case in the Menshevist parties, to allow the female members to simply pay their dues and vote for the social-democrats at the elections; the Communist women. in joining the party, or in coming over from the Independent Party, have assumed the difficult task of assisting, as active fellow-combatants at the side of their male comrades, in accomplishing the overthrow of the bourgeoisie and the establishment of the proletarian dictatorship.

To this end, an extensive educative and propaganda campaign was commenced by the National Women’s Secretariat. On the basis of the guiding principles formulated by the Communist International for work among the women, it was resolved to institute women’s agitation committees in every district and locality and this resolution was carried out in important politically well organised districts, such as Berlin-Brandenburg, Middle Germany, Rhineland-Westphalia and Saxony. The women leaders of the district and local women’s agitation committees were represented with a seat and vote in the district and local management councils. These women’s agitation committees were supplied with abundant material for propaganda among the women, by the publication of a great number of easily comprehensible pamphlets (“What We Have to Say to Women”; both speeches of Clara Zetkin at the Unity Congress: “The Women and the Communist Party”, and “The Working Woman’s Part in the Reconstruction and Defence of Soviet Russia”; “Mother and Child in Germany and Soviet Russia”; “The Woman Worker in Soviet Russia”; “The Women and the Elections to the Prussian Landtag”), as well as leaflets, by more widespread organisation of lectures about children’s misery, the housing problem, and the International Women’s Day. The very diligent educative work thus carried on was supplemented by the organisation of special women’s courses for the further theoretic education of the women officials, by the holding of regular conferences of women officials as well as of district wommens’ conferences on organisation and political problems. The fortnightly periodical “The Woman Communist” and the “Woman’s Page” in the large provincial weeklies of the Party are doing excellent propaganda work for the attainment of the active cooperation of the proletarian women. “The Woman Communist”, that in January 1921 had a circulation of 26,000, has in three months grown to 40,000 and every new number shows a decided increase.

The participation of the women in the political problems and actions of the party is constantly extended. Whereas the campaign for the elections to the Prussian Landtag in February 1921 evidenced activity on the part of the women in only a few districts, as an organised aid to the Party, the preparations for the International Women’s Day and the participation of the women in the March Action, is proof of the fact that the women comrades are growing ever more conscious of their revolutionary duties. Our women. comrades took their stand side by side with the men when the Hoersing troops attempted to beat the Middle German proletarians down. They rendered inestimable service to the movement by their solidarity during the general strike, by the succor they lent as nurses, as couriers, and by bringing up foodstuffs and warm meals, and the vindictive bourgeoisie frequently made them pay these services by persecutions and severe prison sentences.

Our male comrades are however be coming more and more conscious of the importance and necessity of propaganda among the proletarian women. And it may be said to the honour of the German party that it is following in the footsteps of the Russian party in this respect. Not only does the Central Council of the Communist Party of Germany lend every assistance to the furtherance of the work among the women, but the advice and the aid of the National Women’s Secretariat is being called in much more frequently than ever before and the establishment of special district women’s secretariats is being accomplished on every hand. So far, however, owing to the lack of diligent and capable woman secretaries, it has been possible to establish only six such district women’s secretariats in the most important industrial centres, which have become the spiritual and organisational centres of various political districts and proved very valuable.

In conclusion we desire to mention the increasing interest of the German woman Communists in the international problems. On May 7th last, a National Women’s Conference was held at Berlin, at which delegates from every part of the country appeared. The agenda of the International Women’s Conference was discussed and hearty sisterly greetings were sent to the Conference. The proposals of this National Women’s Conference will form the subject of discussion at the Second International Women’s Conference, and we trust that they will aid in the establishment of relations with the women communists of all countries and will give an impetus to the world revolution through the cooperation of the proletarian women of the world.

Moscow was the English-language newspapers of the Communist International’s Third Congress held in Moscow during 1921. Edited by T. L. Axelrod, the paper began on May 25, a month before the Congress, to July 12.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/international/comintern/3rd-congress/moscow/Moscow%20issue%2010.pdf