To make war unthinkable - the Woman's Peace Party of New York, 1914-1919

This study will examine the activities and philosophies of the Woman's Peace Party of New York/Woman's International League during the period of the formation of a distinct women's peace movement in the United States, 1914-1919. Inspired by the belief that women shared a unique perspective on issues of peace, war and militarism, the Woman's Peace Party of New York organized and participated in many of the ground-breaking United States peace, antimilitarist and free speech/civil liberties activities of the World War I period. One of the few peace organizations which managed to continue to function as a critical voice towards war and militarism during 1914-1919, this study aims to reveal how and why their protest against the system of war and militarism developed into a challenge to the economic and gender power structures of their society. Specifically, the party's broad definition of peace, strong affiliations with other peace and antimilitarist organizations, and versatile conception of gender as both distinct and equal led party members to articulate the connections between sexism and militarism in seeking the route to freedom for women and lasting peace.