The Tactics of the Women‘s Movement in the 4th Parliament Election

Abstract

1927 was significant for the women’s movement because it was necessary to review the goals and their implementation methods in the women’s movement while adapting to altered political conditions. On 6 December 1928, the government issued an order that made it necessary to reregister organisations and pointed out that members of an association could be persons who were 21 or older. In this political environment, the activities of the Lithuanian catholic women’s organisation became more passive and shifted towards the areas of culture and education. It passed on taking care of women’s affairs to other women’s organisations. During the 30s, it underwent a crisis, and the Lithuanian Women’s Council was positioned not as a political or charity organisation but as an ideological organisation that had a goal of educating and encouraging women to be interested in culture, develop their sense of responsibility (for the society, family and country) and protect women’s affairs. Financial support from the government allowed the Council to develop relations and represent the Lithuanian women’s movement on the international scale. This was an important factor of the development and unification of the women’s movement but not its trengthening. The active Lithuanian Women’s Union was forced to limit its activities after the upheaval. During the 30s of the 20th century, Lithuanian women’s movement displayed consolidation of all three areas (catholic, democratic and social-democratic) when attempting to solve issues related to women’s representation in the 4th Seimas, prostitution, position of women and children in families, piece and other issues. Lithuanian history does not include very many analyses of elections to the 4th Seimas and the tactics applied by the Lithuanian Nationalist Union that limited all possibilities for female representatives to become members of the parliament. This shows that this political power created a mirage that was dispersed on the day of the election to the 4th Seimas, even though it allegedly satisfied the requirements of the women’s movement and showing the society it was represented. The article analyses the inability of women’s organisations to agree and suggest a representative to the Council of Lithuania as well as its weak representation of women in self-management. The article also discusses its causes and consequences.
Aim of the article – having revealed the limitations of women’s activities in the national life during the 30s of the 20th century, to analyse the reasons of the defeat of the women’s movement in the 4th Seimas