The Socialist Pankhurst They Don't Talk About

Sylvia Pankhurst: The Socialist Pankhurst They Don’t Talk About

When we think of the Pankhurst name, we often picture the famous mother-daughter duo, Emmeline and Christabel, leading the militant suffragette movement under the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). Their legacy is widely celebrated, but what’s often left out of the mainstream narrative is the story of Sylvia Pankhurst, arguably the most radical and uncompromising of them all.

Unlike her mother and sister, who leaned towards conservatism and were willing to exclude working-class women from the suffrage fight, Sylvia Pankhurst was a staunch socialist, anti-imperialist, and fierce advocate for universal suffrage. Her politics set her apart and ultimately led to her being sidelined from the official suffragette story.

A Socialist Suffragette

Sylvia’s vision for women’s rights extended far beyond the vote for middle- and upper-class women. She saw suffrage as part of a broader struggle for economic justice and workers’ rights. She broke away from the WSPU and founded the East London Federation of Suffragettes (ELFS) in 1914, focusing on the needs of working class women who were often ignored in mainstream feminist activism. Unlike Christabel, who aligned herself with the establishment in hopes of securing limited reforms, Sylvia fought for a more radical transformation of society. The ELFS was unique in that it emphasised grassroots organising and provided practical support, such as free milk for children, affordable restaurants, and clinics for working-class mothers, issues that mainstream suffrage groups often ignored.

Her activism was not just theoretical; she lived it. In the East End of London, Sylvia worked directly with labourers, supporting the rights of female factory workers and protesting against exploitative wages. She aligned with trade unions and socialist groups, recognising that suffrage was meaningless if women remained economically oppressed. Her activism brought her into direct conflict with her mother and sister, who wanted to maintain the movement’s respectability in the eyes of the British elite. Eventually, this ideological rift led to her expulsion from the WSPU.

Opposing World War I and Imperialism

During World War I, the WSPU threw its support behind the British war effort, believing that women’s loyalty to the nation would strengthen their case for the vote. Sylvia, however, took a firm anti-war stance, denouncing the war as a capitalist conflict that sent working-class men to die while the elite profited. She used her newspaper, The Woman’s Dreadnought (later The Workers’ Dreadnought), to campaign against conscription and highlight the hypocrisy of fighting for ‘freedom’ abroad while oppressing workers at home.

Her opposition to British imperialism was just as unwavering. While mainstream suffragettes saw the empire as a source of national pride, Sylvia was one of the few prominent white British feminists to denounce colonialism. She openly supported independence movements in India, Ireland, and Africa, arguing that true liberation could not be achieved while Britain continued to dominate other nations. In 1920, she wrote India and the Earthly Paradise, critiquing British rule and calling for self-determination, long before decolonisation became a mainstream political issue.

Her anti-imperialist stance also extended to Ireland, where she supported Irish independence and opposed British military actions. Unlike many of her contemporaries, who viewed Irish nationalist movements with suspicion, Sylvia recognised their struggle as part of a broader anti-colonial fight. She publicly criticised the brutal suppression of the 1916 Easter Rising and the subsequent British reprisals.

An Anti-Fascist and Anti-Colonial Fighter

After the war, Sylvia’s activism expanded beyond Britain. She became a vocal opponent of fascism, particularly in Italy, where she supported Ethiopia’s resistance against Mussolini’s invasion. She saw Ethiopia’s struggle as emblematic of the fight against colonialism and European domination. When Mussolini invaded Ethiopia in 1935, Sylvia was one of the few British activists who publicly campaigned against it. She wrote extensively in support of Ethiopian sovereignty, founded the New Times and Ethiopia News newspaper, and even maintained direct contact with Emperor Haile Selassie.

Her solidarity with anti-colonial movements was not just rhetorical, she took tangible action. She played a key role in organising aid for Ethiopian refugees and used her journalism to expose Britain’s complicity in global imperialism. At a time when many British politicians and intellectuals admired Mussolini, Sylvia stood firmly against fascism, long before the wider public recognised the full horrors of his regime.

Refusing to Work with Churchill

Sylvia Pankhurst also refused to sanitise her principles for political convenience. She openly criticised figures like Winston Churchill, exposing his racist policies and opposition to decolonisation. Unlike many mainstream suffragettes who later aligned themselves with the British establishment, Sylvia remained steadfast in her commitment to working-class and anti-colonial struggles, even when it cost her influence and recognition.

Churchill, despite being lauded as a wartime hero, was a staunch imperialist who opposed Indian self-rule and justified the use of brutal force to suppress independence movements. Sylvia publicly condemned his policies, particularly during the Bengal famine of 1943, which resulted in the deaths of millions due to British mismanagement and deliberate negligence. Her refusal to align with establishment figures like Churchill further cemented her exclusion from the sanitised history of British feminism.

A Forgotten Intellectual

Beyond her activism, Sylvia was also a prolific writer and intellectual. She wrote extensively on socialism, women’s rights, and colonial liberation. Her books, including Save the Mothers (1930) and Ethiopia and Fascist Italy (1936), provided critical insights into the intersections of gender, class, and empire. Unlike many suffragettes who focused solely on women's rights within Britain, Sylvia consistently tied feminist struggles to global oppression.

Her commitment to socialism led her to engage with Marxist and communist circles, though she often clashed with rigid party lines. While she admired elements of Bolshevism, she was critical of the authoritarian direction of Soviet communism under Lenin and Stalin. This independence of thought kept her from being fully embraced by any single movement, further contributing to her historical erasure.

A Legacy Erased?

Despite her immense contributions to feminism, socialism, and anti-colonial activism, Sylvia Pankhurst has largely been erased from mainstream historical narratives. Her far left politics, her opposition to war, and her defiance of the British Empire made her an inconvenient figure for those who wanted to present the suffragette movement as purely patriotic and respectable.

Yet, her legacy is more relevant than ever. As movements for workers' rights, anti-fascism, and decolonisation continue to shape our world, Sylvia Pankhurst’s radical vision deserves to be remembered, not just as a footnote, but as a crucial part of the fight for justice.

Her life also serves as a reminder of the limits of mainstream feminist history. While Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst are widely celebrated, Sylvia’s exclusion speaks to the way history is often written to favour those who align with power. But history is not static, and as interest in radical movements grows, Sylvia Pankhurst’s contributions are being rediscovered.

In many ways, Sylvia’s story is a reminder that the most radical voices are often the first to be forgotten. But history has a way of reclaiming its truth, and perhaps now, more than ever, it’s time to celebrate the socialist Pankhurst they don’t want you to know about.