Women Strike for Peace (WSP), a female activist group formed at the height of the Cold War, transformed the American women from a passive victim of patriarchal militarism and politics into an active fighter for peace. By empowering the female voice in America, WSP played a vital role in ending the dangers that American families faced due to the Arms Race, and the beginnings of more peaceful relations between rival superpowers, America and the Soviet Union.
Heated Cold War tensions between rival Eastern and Western superpowers during the second half of the 20th century left many Americans feeling that their lives were threatened by impending nuclear warfare which would bring about devastating destruction. Brinkmanship between the USSR and …show more content…
The widespread, low standard of living that Americans had recently begun to recover from due to the Great Depression, that only ended a decade prior to the beginning of the Cold War era, meant that they were determined to avoid the repetition of the suffering they endured, that would come about through the devastating outcomes of war. Civil Defense programmes partnered with American companies to promote the installation of fall-out shelters in homes, nuclear bomb drills in schools, and urge Americans to prepare for the very real possibility of nuclear warfare. (Source A and B) It was the fear of the unknown that compelled Americans into believing anti-communist propaganda which made citizens more willing take extreme measures to protect themselves, therefore into purchasing American-produced goods for their emergency shelters which propelled the American economy and ensured the American government had enough funding to sustain their research on nuclear …show more content…
On the 1st of November 1961, Bella Abzug and Dagmar Wilson, two American female activists, formed Women Strike for Peace (WSP) to unite the individual grievances of thousands of American women, who criticized the government for endangering the lives of their children, into one booming statement: 'End the Arms Race not the Human Race'. The WSP attracted thousands of female volunteers from all political backgrounds, who wanted to partake in making the government aware of how the American women felt about their negligence towards the safety of the next generation, across America. A mass-based organization, that challenged violent, patriarchal militarism and fixed gender roles of the Cold War era, had been established. WSP utilized the traditional American wife and mother by giving her a platform to speak out against authority to advocate for a peaceful, safe America for her children; a radical act of defiance in a patriarchal America. (Source D) The WSP therefore contributed to the groundwork of second-wave feminism in America, a major shift mindset that empowered every experience of the American woman; family, work, and
Heated Cold War tensions between rival Eastern and Western superpowers during the second half of the 20th century left many Americans feeling that their lives were threatened by impending nuclear warfare which would bring about devastating destruction. Brinkmanship between the USSR and …show more content…
The widespread, low standard of living that Americans had recently begun to recover from due to the Great Depression, that only ended a decade prior to the beginning of the Cold War era, meant that they were determined to avoid the repetition of the suffering they endured, that would come about through the devastating outcomes of war. Civil Defense programmes partnered with American companies to promote the installation of fall-out shelters in homes, nuclear bomb drills in schools, and urge Americans to prepare for the very real possibility of nuclear warfare. (Source A and B) It was the fear of the unknown that compelled Americans into believing anti-communist propaganda which made citizens more willing take extreme measures to protect themselves, therefore into purchasing American-produced goods for their emergency shelters which propelled the American economy and ensured the American government had enough funding to sustain their research on nuclear …show more content…
On the 1st of November 1961, Bella Abzug and Dagmar Wilson, two American female activists, formed Women Strike for Peace (WSP) to unite the individual grievances of thousands of American women, who criticized the government for endangering the lives of their children, into one booming statement: 'End the Arms Race not the Human Race'. The WSP attracted thousands of female volunteers from all political backgrounds, who wanted to partake in making the government aware of how the American women felt about their negligence towards the safety of the next generation, across America. A mass-based organization, that challenged violent, patriarchal militarism and fixed gender roles of the Cold War era, had been established. WSP utilized the traditional American wife and mother by giving her a platform to speak out against authority to advocate for a peaceful, safe America for her children; a radical act of defiance in a patriarchal America. (Source D) The WSP therefore contributed to the groundwork of second-wave feminism in America, a major shift mindset that empowered every experience of the American woman; family, work, and