Cycnos | Numéros | Volume 16.1 - Conservatismes anglo-américains XVIII^e et XIX^e siècles

Résumé :

Coming from Conservative quarters the opposition to female suffrage could be expected to be the result of a patriarchal attitude towards woman. But the Anti-suffrage campaign led by the National Review shows that the Radical Right was not so much hostile to enfranchisement on principle as wary of the harmful consequences it would have on the reproductive functions of women. The vote therefore became synonymous with the degeneration of the British race and incompatible with the law of National Efficiency that Leopold Maxse and his contributors were striving to promote to stop the decline of the Empire. Unsurprisingly, that women are asked to sacrifice rights to duties is seen as the greatest sign of patriotism.

Date de publication : 2008-07-11