The Suffragist Peace

Abstract Not all radical social changes are revolutionary and not all revolutionary changes are noticed. Profound changes sometimes unfold over time; they may even remain invisible for centuries. The year 1893 witnessed the dawn of a new era—one in which women around the world entered the political realm. People expected profound social change to follow as political parties centered around a unique set of women’s issues emerged as formidable, unified forces. But this understanding of the meaning of women’s suffrage did not last. Indeed, many people today would be hard pressed to identify a lasting and significant social or political change brought about by women’s votes. And yet, could it be that radical change has gone unnoticed and unappreciated? This book asks whether women’s political influence is changing politics between nations. While it is too soon to characterize the full extent, and impossible to know for sure, the book shows that the historical facts are strikingly consistent with a suffragist peace: women’s inclusion in democratic electorates has been a primary cause of peace in the modern era. The twentieth century witnessed some of the most radical technological, economic, and political changes in history—the spread of nuclear weapons, capitalism, and democracy, among others. But current accounts have overlooked one of the most dramatic transformations of the twentieth century as a potential source of peace: the massive redistribution of political power as millions of women around the world entered the political realm.