Days of Discontent
American Women and Right-Wing Politics, 1933–1945

June Melby Benowitz (Author)

9780875802947

Hardback, published 1 March 2002

240 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm, 0.907 kg

"A must-read for scholars of twentieth-century American politics and women."—History
"A remarkable compilation of research and analysis."—NWSA Journal
"This book succeeds in assembling a large body of information about heretofore obscure right-wing women activists."—Journal of Social History

Holding fast to traditional values in the face of unprecedented economic hardship, nearly a million American women joined right-wing organizations during the Great Depression and World War II. Days of Discontent provides a new perspective for understanding why the far right appealed to these women, whose political self-awareness grew with the tumultuous times.

Influenced by the conventional image of women as mothers and nurturers, many women viewed the right-wing movement as a way to protect and maintain American morality. The radical right leaders, such as Elizabeth Dilling and Grace Wick, held ideas in common with European fascists but based their politics on a uniquely American mixture of nativism, anticommunism, anti-Semitism, and racism. Benowitz's insight into their motivations sheds new light on the interaction between women's daily lives and national politics.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Mobilizing
2. Elizabeth Dilling, Right-Wing Evangelist
3. Grace Wick, Disillusioned Democrat
4. "This Sphere Is Woman's Home"
5. "It's Up to the Women"
6. Right-Wing Women Leaders
7. Political Action during the War Years
8. "I Enlisted in this Fight for Life"
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index