Both German communists sometimes confused politics, party discipline and intimate life. The cocktail turned out to be explosive.
Party comrades often called Zetkin the Wild Klara, thus emphasizing the uncompromising judgment characteristic of this woman, the ability to take the most unexpected actions and ideas.
For example, during the period of a powerful revolutionary upsurge that covered Germany in 1918, Klara, who occupied a prominent position in the party leadership, made a very original proposal to stimulate the militant revolutionary spirit of the rebels. She seriously suggested that women - supporters of socialist feminism - organize holidays of free love for communist militants. Whoever fights well against the "rotten monarchy" then gets the maximum of carnal pleasures! (History is silent on how dense the ranks of voluntary revolutionary "appeasers" turned out to be, but the fact that there were cases of such "rewarding for revolutionary labor" at that time is known from the documents.)
An equally original "sex method" was proposed by Zetkin two years later, during the hostilities that unfolded in 1920 between Soviet Russia and "panskoy" Poland. As a member of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic, Klara at one of the meetings declared from the rostrum that not a single carriage with weapons for the Polish troops, with machines for military factories built in Poland by the Entente capitalists, should cross the German border! And such a boycott, according to the revolutionary, could be ensured by “conscious proletarian women”: they must offer their love to any worker who refuses to participate in the fulfillment of military orders.
In the same peculiar way, she once agreed to solve the “women's question” for her closest friend and like-minded woman. In 1907, Clara's 22-year-old son Constantin became the lover of Rosa Luxemburg, who was almost 15 years older than him. Zetkin, for sure, was not happy with such a misalliance, however, she did not take any decisive action (including on the party line) against the seductress, although the relationship between the two outstanding German revolutionaries became very strained for some time.
The family ties of Clara herself, nee Eissner, were by no means trivial. With her first husband, the revolutionary Osip Zetkin, she lived for 7 years, without formalizing her marriage, but taking his last name.
In 1897, 8 years after the death of her common-law spouse, 40-year-old Clara fell madly in love with a student of the Academy of Arts, future artist Georg Friedrich Zundel. And although he was younger than the lady-"parteigenosse" by as much as 18 years, they soon got married.
A period of "bourgeois prosperity" has begun. Zundel received many orders for portraits, and his impressive fees allowed the spouses to buy their own house in a few years, and in 1906 to acquire a property that was completely amazing at that time: a car. However, it didn't take long to ride it together. In the pre-war 1914, Clara and Georg parted ways. (Almost at the same time, the other couple, their son Konstantin and fellow party member Rosa, "scattered in different directions". Both of these similar events again made the two women friends.)
Wild Clara then for many years took revenge on her "ex", not giving him consent to an official divorce. This legal act took place only almost a decade and a half later, and the artist, freed from his former bonds, only then was able to marry his long-loved woman - Paula Bosch, by the way, the daughter of the founder of the famous electrical engineering concern.
The younger friend Rosa Luxemburg lived a much shorter life, she was killed in 1919.
To obtain German citizenship, she, still a very young native of the Kingdom of Poland, had to enter into a fictitious marriage with a subject of the German Kaiser, Gustav Lubeck. But nine years later, true love also happened - with the young Konstantin Zetkin.
Their relationship was at first quite decent. The young man, along with his mother Clara Zetkin, was present in Stuttgart at the next congress of the Second International. Here he saw and heard Rosa, whose emotional speeches from the rostrum delighted him. Soon after, the revolutionary volunteered to be Constantine's mentor in the study of Marxism. Well, then these "political studies" together turned into love relationships. Apparently, the son of her best friend remained the main man in the heart of Luxembourg for the rest of her - not long already - life. After their breakup, Rose never got married again.
What holiday is it difficult to imagine the beginning of spring without? Of course, without March 8. The history of the creation of the 8th March holiday has already been forgotten by many of us. Over time, it lost its social and political significance. Now this day simply symbolizes respect, love and tenderness, which, undoubtedly, all the fair sex on the planet deserve: mothers, grandmothers, daughters, wives and sisters.
The origin of the holiday on March 8 is not known to everyone. Most of us only know about the official version. However, there is more than one story behind the creation of the 8 March holiday. And each of them has a right to exist. In which of these versions to believe, everyone decides for himself.
Official version
According to the official version of the USSR, the origin of the March 8 holiday is associated with a protest march, which was organized by the workers of a textile factory. Women came out to protest against harsh working conditions and low wages.
It is noteworthy that the newspapers of those years did not publish a single article about such strikes. Later historians managed to find out that in 1857 March 8 fell on Sunday. It may seem odd that women would go on strike on a weekend.
There is another story. On March 8, Clara Zetkin spoke at a women's forum in Copenhagen with a call to establish the German Communist implied that on March 8 women would be able to organize processions and rallies, thereby drawing public attention to their own problems. The date was set for the strike of the same textile workers, which in reality never happened.
In the USSR, this holiday appeared thanks to a friend of Clara Zetkin, a fiery revolutionary Alexandra Kollontai. So in 1921, Women's Day in our country first became an official holiday.
Legend of the Jewish queen
The opinions of historians about the origin of Clara Zetkin were divided. No one can say for sure if she was Jewish. Some sources say that Klara was born into a Jewish family. Others claim that her father was German.
Clara Zetkin's desire to associate the holiday with the date of March 8 ambiguously indicates that she still had Jewish roots, since March 8 is an ancient Jewish holiday - Purim.
What other versions of creating a holiday on March 8 are there? The history of the holiday can be connected with the history of the Jewish people. According to legend, Queen Esther, who was the beloved of King Xerxes, delivered the Jews from extermination with the help of her spell. The Persian king intended to kill all Jews, but the beautiful Esther was able to convince him not to kill the Jewish people, but, on the contrary, to exterminate all enemies, including the Persians.
Praising the queen, the Jews began to celebrate Purim. The date of the celebration has always been different and fell on the end of February - beginning of March. However, in 1910, this day fell on March 8th.
Women of the ancient profession
According to the third version, the origin of the holiday on March 8 is scandalous and unpleasant for women who are looking forward to this day.
According to some reports, in 1857, the women of New York did indeed organize a protest, but they were not textile workers, but representatives of an ancient profession, who demanded that the wages of the sailors who used their services be paid, since the latter could not pay them.
On March 8, 1894, women of easy virtue again held a demonstration, but this time in Paris. They demanded that their rights be recognized on an equal basis with other workers who were engaged in sewing clothes and baking bread, and also asked to organize trade unions for them. The following year, rallies were held in Chicago and New York.
It is noteworthy that Clara Zetkin herself took part in such actions. For example, in 1910, she and her friend took prostitutes to the streets of Germany demanding to stop the police outrage. In the Soviet version, public women had to be replaced by "workers".
Why implement March 8?
The history of International Women's Day in Russia has a political character. March 8 is essentially an ordinary political campaign run by the Social Democrats. At the beginning of the 20th century, they actively protested in order to attract public attention. To do this, they took to the streets with posters propagating socialist calls. This was in the hands of the leaders of the Social Democratic Party, since progressive women were in solidarity with the party.
This is probably why Stalin ordered the recognition of March 8 as Women's Day. Because it was impossible to link the date with historical events, the history had to be slightly adjusted. If the leader said, it was necessary to do it.
Women from Venus
The traditions associated with the International are no less interesting than the origins of the 8 March holiday. For example, it is customary to wear purple ribbons on this day.
And this is not surprising, because this color personifies Venus, which is considered the patroness of all women. That is why all famous ladies (politicians, educators, medical professionals, journalists, actresses and sportswomen) wear purple ribbons when they take part in the events of March 8th. Typically, they take part in political rallies, women's conferences or theater performances, fairs, and even fashion shows.
The meaning of the holiday
There is no city where March 8 is not celebrated. The history of the emergence of the holiday for many personifies the indomitable spirit of women who are fighting for equality and their own For others, this holiday has long lost its political overtones and has become an excellent occasion to express love and respect for the fair sex.
On the day, congratulations on March 8 are heard everywhere. In any organization, company or educational institution employees are honored, given flowers and gifts. Along with this, official events are organized in the cities on March 8. A festive concert is held annually in the Kremlin in Moscow.
How is March 8 celebrated in Russia?
On the day of March 8, all women forget about household chores. All housework (cleaning, cooking, washing) is postponed. Often, men take on all the worries so that once a year they feel the difficulty of doing the daily tasks that our women cope with. On this day, every woman should hear congratulations on March 8th.
This holiday never ceases to be the most long-awaited for all women. On March 8, it is customary to congratulate not only loved ones, but also colleagues, neighbors, store employees, doctors and teachers.
You should not skimp on kind words on this wonderful day. After all, without women, life on Earth would have ceased to exist!
Ecology of cognition: The official version says that the tradition of celebrating March 8 is associated with the "March of empty pots", which allegedly held on this day in 1857 by textile workers in New York. They protested against unacceptable working conditions and low wages.
Who took to the streets of New York - textile workers or prostitutes?
The first version, official: "Day of Solidarity of Working Women"
The official version says that the tradition of celebrating March 8 is associated with the "March of Empty Pans" which was allegedly spent on this day in 1857 by the textile workers of New York. They protested against unacceptable working conditions and low wages.
It is interesting that in the press of that time there was not a single note about such a strike. And historians have found out that March 8, 1857 was Sunday. It’s very strange to go on strike on weekends.
In 1910, at a women's forum in Copenhagen, German communist Clara Zetkin called on the world to institute "International Women's Day on March 8". She meant that on this day women will organize rallies and processions, and thus "draw public attention to their problems."
Initially, the holiday was called “International Day of Solidarity of Women in the Fight for Their Rights”. The date of March 8 was set under the very same strike of textile workers, which in fact never took place. More precisely, it was, but then it was not the textile workers who were on strike. But more on that later.
This "holiday" was actively promoted by the accomplice Zetkin, the ardent revolutionary Alexandra Kolontai. The same one that conquered the Soviet Union with a "great phrase": "You must surrender to the first man you meet as easily as to drink a glass of water." March 8 became an official holiday in Russia in 1921.
The second version, Jewish: praise of the Jewish queen
Historians are still "arguing" whether Klara Zetkin was Jewish. Some sources claim that she was born in the family of a Jewish shoemaker, while others - a German teacher. However, Zetkin's desire to associate March 8, with the Jewish holiday of Purim, ambiguously hints at what it was.
So, the second version says that Zetkin wanted to connect the history of Women's Day with the history of the Jewish people. According to legend, the beloved of the Persian king Xerxes, Esther, saved the Jewish people from extermination using her spell.
Xerxes wanted to exterminate all Jews, but Esther convinced him not only not to kill Jews, but on the contrary - to destroy all enemies of the Jews, including the Persians themselves. It happened on the 13th day of Arda according to the Jewish calendar (this month falls on the end of February - beginning of March). Praising Esther, the Jews began to celebrate Purim (the day of the massacre of the Persians). The "celebration" date was sliding, but in 1910 it fell exactly on March 8th.
The third version, about prostitutes
The third version of the origin of the holiday is perhaps the most scandalous for all who are awaiting with trepidation "International Women's Day".
In 1857 in New York, women did protest, but they were not textile workers, but prostitutes. Women of the oldest profession demanded to pay salaries to sailors who used their services, but did not have money to pay prostitutes.
In 1894, on March 8, prostitutes again demonstrated in Paris. This time they demanded that their rights be recognized on an equal basis with those who sew clothes or bake bread, and that special trade unions be established.
This was repeated in 1895 in Chicago, and in 1896 in New York - shortly before the memorable congress of suffragettes in 1910, where it was decided to declare this day "women's" and "international", as suggested by Zetkin.
Clara Zetkin herself carried out similar actions. All in the same year, 1910, together with her accomplice Rosa Luxemburg, she brought prostitutes to the streets of German cities with the demand to "stop the police atrocities." Only in the Soviet version, prostitutes were replaced by "working women".published
One of the most famous activists of the German and international socialist and women's movement, Clara Zetkin, went down in the history of the 20th century not only as an active communist, but also as a woman reformer who played an important role in the formation of the European movement for women's rights. In Soviet times, Zetkin's main merit was considered the institution at her proposal for International Women's Day.
Clara Zetkin, nee Eisner, was born in 1857 in the small Saxon town of Wiederau into the family of a rural teacher. Already at a young age, Clara stood out among her peers with curiosity and tenacious memory: at the age of 9, the girl read everything Goethe and Schiller and recited their poems with pleasure, and at 12 she quoted excerpts from the History of the French Revolution by the historian Thomas Carlyle.
Context
While still a student at the Leipzig Pedagogical Gymnasium, a prestigious educational institution, she began to attend secret meetings of the Social Democrats, and in 1878 she joined the Socialist Workers' Party, later renamed the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). At the same time, she met her future life partner, the Russian émigré revolutionary Osip Zetkin, with whom she was soon forced to leave for Zurich, fleeing the intensified persecution of the socialists in Germany.
In 1882 the Zetkins moved to Paris, where Osip and Klara continued to engage in party activities. They earned a living by translating and publishing in social democratic newspapers, although the pay was meager. At the time of the death of Osip, who died of tuberculosis in 1889, he and Klara had two sons. Despite the fact that Klara had signed herself with the surname Zetkin for many years, she never entered into an official marriage with Osip.
Struggle for women's rights
Living in France, Clara Zetkin was actively involved in the preparation and work of the Constituent Congress of the Second International in Paris in 1889, where she made a speech on the role of women in the revolutionary struggle. And after Germany stopped persecuting the Social Democrats, Klara returned to her homeland, where, in Stuttgart in 1892, she began to publish the SPD newspaper for women, Equality.
In 1907, Clara Zetkin became the head of the SPD women's department, where she, together with Rosa Luxemburg, advocated for equal rights for women. At the International Conference of Socialist Women in Copenhagen in 1910, at the suggestion of Zetkin, it was decided to celebrate International Women's Day, later timed to coincide with the anniversary of the demonstration of workers in New York textile enterprises on March 8, 1857.
The last refuge - the Soviet Union
In 1917, for his opposition to the First World War, the leadership of the SPD dismissed Zetkin from work in the editorial office of the Equality newspaper. In the same year, she took part in the founding of the Independent Social Democratic Party (NSDPD), and after the creation in December 1918 of the Communist Party of Germany (KKE), she actively advocated the entry of workers - members of the NSDPD into its ranks.
From 1920 to 1933, Zetkin was constantly elected as a member of the Reichstag from the Communist Party, at the same time heading the International Women's Secretariat of the Comintern. In 1920, Clara Zetkin first went to the Soviet Union, where she met Lenin and Krupskaya. In subsequent years, Zetkin often came to Moscow to participate in the congresses of the Comintern. She had friendly relations with Lenin and Krupskaya.
In July 1932, when, as a result of early elections to the Reichstag, the National Socialists won a majority in the German parliament, Clara Zetkin was in Moscow. As the oldest member of the Reichstag, she had the right to open the first session of the new convocation and, despite feeling unwell, she went to Berlin, where she gave a fiery speech about the danger of Nazism and called for the creation of a united anti-fascist front. After the left-wing parties were banned in Germany, Zetkin went to her final exile, this time to the Soviet Union.
Klara Zetkin died on June 20, 1933 in Arkhangelsk near Moscow at the age of 76. The funeral ceremony of the German revolutionary was attended by 600 thousand people. Zetkin's ashes were placed in an urn in the Kremlin wall on Red Square in Moscow.
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One of the most famous activists of the German and international socialist and women's movement, Clara Zetkin, went down in the history of the 20th century not only as an active communist, but also as a woman reformer who played an important role in the formation of the European movement for women's rights. In Soviet times, Zetkin's main merit was considered the institution at her proposal for International Women's Day.
Clara Zetkin, nee Eisner, was born in 1857 in the small Saxon town of Wiederau into the family of a rural teacher. Already at a young age, Clara stood out among her peers with curiosity and tenacious memory: at the age of 9, the girl read everything Goethe and Schiller and read their poems with pleasure, and at 12 she recited excerpts from the History of the French Revolution by the historian Thomas Carlyle.
While still a student at the Leipzig Pedagogical Gymnasium, a prestigious educational institution where Klara was admitted to free education, she began to attend secret meetings of the Social Democrats, and in 1878 she joined the ranks of the Socialist Workers' Party, later renamed the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) ... At the same time, she met her future life partner, the Russian émigré revolutionary Osip Zetkin, with whom she was soon forced to leave for Zurich, fleeing the intensified persecution of the socialists in Germany.
In 1882 the Zetkins moved to Paris, where Osip and Klara continued to engage in party activities. They earned a living by translating and publishing in social democratic newspapers, although the pay was meager. At the time of the death of Osip, who died of tuberculosis in 1889, he and Klara had two sons. Despite the fact that Klara had signed herself with the surname Zetkin for many years, she never entered into an official marriage with Osip.
Living in France, Clara Zetkin was actively involved in the preparation and work of the Constituent Congress of the Second International in Paris in 1889, where she made a speech on the role of women in the revolutionary struggle. And after Germany stopped persecuting the Social Democrats, Klara returned to her homeland, where, in Stuttgart in 1892, she began to publish the SPD newspaper for women, Equality.
In 1907, Clara Zetkin became the head of the SPD women's department, where she, together with Rosa Luxemburg, advocated for equal rights for women. At the International Conference of Socialist Women in Copenhagen in 1910, at the suggestion of Zetkin, it was decided to celebrate International Women's Day, later timed to coincide with the anniversary of the demonstration of workers in New York textile enterprises on March 8, 1857.
Quote:
The very first official holiday in support of women's rights was held in 1909 on February 28 in the United States, thanks to the corresponding declaration proclaimed by the Socialist Party of America. A year earlier, the Social Democratic Organization of New York held a rally in defense of women's rights, on that day, more than 15,000 women marched through the city, demanding a shorter working day and equal pay with men, including women demanding the right to vote. This rally was held on March 8, 1908, in honor of the protest march of New York textile workers held on March 8, 1857.
In 1917, for propaganda against the First World War, the leadership of the SPD dismissed Zetkin from work in the editorial office of the Equality newspaper. In the same year, she took part in the founding of the Independent Social Democratic Party (NSDPD), and after the creation in December 1918 of the Communist Party of Germany (KKE), she actively advocated the entry of workers-members of the NSDPD into its ranks.
From 1920 to 1933, Zetkin was constantly elected as a member of the Reichstag from the Communist Party, while at the same time heading the International Women's Secretariat of the Comintern. In 1920, at the age of 63, Clara Zetkin went to the Soviet Union for the first time, where she met Lenin and Krupskaya. In subsequent years, Zetkin often came to Moscow to participate in the congresses of the Comintern. She had friendly relations with Lenin and Krupskaya.
In July 1932, when, as a result of early elections to the Reichstag, the National Socialists won a majority in the German parliament, Clara Zetkin was in Moscow. As the oldest member of the Reichstag, she had the right to open the first session of the new convocation and, despite feeling unwell, she went to Berlin, where she gave a fiery speech about the danger of Nazism and called for the creation of a united anti-fascist front. After the left-wing parties were banned in Germany, Zetkin went to her final exile, this time to the Soviet Union.
Klara Zetkin died on June 20, 1933 in Arkhangelsk near Moscow at the age of 76. The funeral ceremony of the German revolutionary was attended by 600 thousand people. Zetkin's ashes were placed in an urn in the Kremlin wall on Red Square in Moscow.
March 8, as International Women's Day, the Lenin government began to celebrate from the first year of its existence. The holiday had a pronounced political connotation and was perceived by the authorities and the population as a day of international solidarity of women from all over the world. We were not talking about any flowers and gifts familiar to us. It is difficult to say when men in the USSR began to massively give their girlfriends, wives, mothers bouquets on March 8, but this happened after the Great Patriotic War and the death of Stalin.
Only on March 8, 1965, was it declared a holiday day by the decision of the Communist Party of the USSR in honor of the outstanding services of Soviet women in building communism, in honor of the heroic deeds of Soviet women during the Great Patriotic War, as well as for the invaluable contribution of all women in the country. strengthening friendship between peoples and fighting for world peace. As you can see, the wording was not at all feminine motive.
This day is declared a holiday in the republics of the former USSR, as well as in: Angola, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Cambodia, China, Congo (there is not a holiday of "international", but Congolese women), Laos, Macedonia, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea and Uganda.
After the merger of the two Germanies, the East Germans had already forgotten this holiday, and the West had not heard of it. In Poland and Bulgaria, they still remember the tradition of giving flowers to women on March 8, but this day is a working day. In the Baltic countries, it is actively celebrated only by Russian-speaking communities. In Italy, March 8 has never been an official holiday and is an ordinary working day, but Italians love to gather on March 8 with women's companies, without men, and congratulate themselves. Moreover, many bars with male striptease on this day allow women to enjoy the show for free ...
In some countries, very different holidays are celebrated on March 8. For example, in Syria it is the Day of the Revolution, in Zambia it is the Day of Youth, in Brunei it is the Day of the Sultan, and in Turkey it is the Birthday of the Prophet.