''Workers' Dreadnought'' was a
newspaper 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.
The paper was started by Pankhurst at the suggestion of
Zelie Emerson
Zelie Passavant Emerson (1883 — March 1969) was an American suffragette in England. She suggested and then founded the ''Workers' Dreadnought'' newspaper with Sylvia Pankhurst, and she was injured by London police in a suffrage riot in 1913.
...
, after Pankhurst had been expelled from the
Women's Social and Political Union 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, 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 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