From militant suffragette at the beginning of the twentieth century to campaigner against colonialism in Africa after the Second World War, Sylvia Pankhurst dedicated her life to fighting oppression and injustice. In this vivid biography Katherine Connelly examines Pankhurst’s role at the forefront of significant developments in the history of radical politics. She guides us through Pankhurst's construction of a suffragette militancy which put working-class women at the heart of the struggle, her championing of the Bolshevik Revolution and her clandestine attempts to sabotage the actions of the British state, as well as her early identification of the dangers of Fascism. The book explores the dilemmas, debates and often painful personal consequences faced by Pankhurst which were played out in her art, writings and activism. It argues that far from being an advocate of disparate causes, Pankhurst’s campaigns were united by an essential continuity which hold vital lessons for achieving social change. This lively and accessible biography presents Pankhurst as a courageous and inspiring campaigner, of huge relevance to those engaged in social movements today. “The relationship between Sylvia Pankhurst and America is decisive and crucial to understanding Pankhurst's politics, life and historical legacy. Connelly combines scholarly expertise with concise, lively writing in the contemporary idiom. . . . A timely and vital new contribution to Sylvia Pankhurst studies.”  -- Rachel Holmes, author of “Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel” and “Eleanor Marx: A Life” 'An important work on my mother Sylvia Pankhurst. Packed with new historical information which makes her life and times come alive it is a fascinating and very readable biography' 'Brings to life the politics and personality of one of the most important women in the history of the British left' Katherine Connelly is a leading member of Counterfire and a regular contributor to its online magazine. She has also contributed to International Socialism and Socialist Review , and is currently conducting doctoral research in History at Queen Mary, University of London. Sylvia Pankhurst Suffragette, Socialist and Scourge of Empire By Katherine Connelly Pluto Press Copyright © 2013 Katherine Connelly All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-7453-3322-9 Contents Acknowledgements, vii, Introduction, 1, 1 Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman, 4, 2 Suffragettes, Socialism and Sacrifice, 17, 3 Working For Their Own Emancipation, 39, 4 Resisting the War, 67, 5 Sylvia's Communism, 87, 6 Anti-Fascism, Women and Democracy, 116, 7 Fighting Imperialism in War and Peace, 130, Conclusion, 148, Notes, 150, Index, 166, CHAPTER 1 Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman THE PANKHURSTS I was a child of the late nineteenth century, an inheritor of the struggle for political democracy, not fully accomplished then even for men, whilst women were still outside the political system, profiting by the gains of democracy only adventitiously. The Labour movement for the economic betterment of the masses was stirring towards its birth. The idea of internationalism, in the sense that the world is every man's country, to be valued and respected equally with his birthplace, was gaining ground. These words, written by Sylvia Pankhurst in 1938, describe the struggles which informed her whole life: the struggles for democracy, women's rights, working-class emancipation, internationalism, and against imperialism. She was born into a political family at a time of intense political turmoil. Her parents, Emmeline Goulden and Dr Richard Marsden Pankhurst, both came from big Liberal families in Manchester, the city of manufacture and commerce that epitomised nineteenth-century Liberalism. Emmeline Goulden was the eldest daughter of Robert Goulden, a partner in a cotton printing and bleaching firm and local Liberal councillor. Richard Pankhurst, the son of a Liberal Baptist Dissenter, worked as a barrister. In the late 1870s the Conservative government allied itself with the repressive Turkish Empire, almost dragging Britain into war with Russia, and fought unpopular and disastrous wars in Afghanistan and South Africa. Emmeline and Richard met in the ferment of the antiwar agitation championed by the Liberal Party, and married in 1879. They shared a passion for radical politics and challenging injustice; in their short courtship Richard wrote to Emmeline 'every struggling cause shall be ours'. Only 21 when she married, Emmeline had attended her first women's suffrage meeting at the age of 14. Richard, who was 20 years older, had been involved in politics for far longer. He declared himself a republican in the 1870s, campaigned for the abolition of the House of Lords, was a prominent supporter of women's suffrage and Home Rule for Ireland, and championed the Mechanics Institutes, which pioneered working-class higher education. In 1880 their first ch