''Workers' Dreadnought'' was a

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

published by variously named

political parties A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or pol ...

led by

Sylvia Pankhurst Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst (5 May 1882 – 27 September 1960) was a campaigning English feminist and socialist. Committed to organising working-class women in London's East End, and unwilling in 1914 to enter into a wartime political truce with t ...

. The paper was started by Pankhurst at the suggestion of Zelie Emerson, after Pankhurst had been expelled from the

Women's Social and Political Union The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1918. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and ...

by her mother and sister. The paper was published on behalf of the newly formed

East London Federation of Suffragettes The Workers' Socialist Federation was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom, led by Sylvia Pankhurst. Under many different names, it gradually broadened its politics from a focus on women's suffrage to eventually become a left com ...

. Provisionally titled ''Workers' Mate'', the newspaper first appeared on 8 March 1914 (14 March according to one source 21 March according to another), the day of suffragette rally at which Pankhurst was due to speak, in

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...

, as ''The Woman's Dreadnought'', with a circulation of 30,000,, subsequently (on number 10, of May 1914) stated as 20,000. When the editor was imprisoned,

Norah Smyth Norah Lyle-Smyth (22 March 1874 – 1963) was a British suffragette, photographer and socialist activist. Life Smyth was born into a wealthy family, and was the niece of the composer and suffragette Ethel Smyth. Until his death in 1912 her ...

alternated as acting editor with Jack O'Sullivan. For many years, Smyth had used her photography skills to provide pictures for the newspaper of East End life, particularly of women and children living in poverty. In July 1917 the name was changed to ''Workers' Dreadnought'', which initially had a circulation of 10,000. Its slogan changed to "Socialism, Internationalism, Votes for All", and then in July 1918 to "For International Socialism", reflecting increasing opposition to Parliamentarism in the party. On 19 June 1920 Workers' Dreadnought was adopted as the official weekly organ of the

Communist Party (British Section of the Third International) The Communist Party (British Section of the Third International) was a Left Communist organisation established at an emergency conference held on 19–20 June 1920 at the International Socialist Club in London. It comprised about 600 people. Hi ...

. Pankhurst continued publishing the newspaper until June 1924.M. A. S. Shipway, ''Anti-Parliamentary Communism in Britain 1917-1945'', vol.1, p.191

References

External links

Workers' Dreadnought text archive
- on libcom.org library Publications established in 1914 Publications disestablished in 1924 Political newspapers published in the United Kingdom Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom Left communism Defunct newspapers published in the United Kingdom 1914 establishments in the United Kingdom 1924 disestablishments in the United Kingdom London newspapers Socialist newspapers published in the United Kingdom {{Women's-History-stub