릴리 브라운 : 한 귀족 여성 사회주의자의 초상

Abstract

This article treats with Lily Braun, known as an ardent feminist and a maverick Social Democrat, by concentrating on an analysis of her Feminism. Although she was a noble by birth and predestined to inherit a fortune, her decision to live as a feminist changed her whole life. At first, she began her activity in the bourgeois feminist organization, but soon disappointed at its passivity and became a member of the Social Democratic party. However, Braun had trouble in the Social democratic party, especially because of her notorious competition with Clara Zetkin, the leader of the women"s organization within SPD, and resigned from it. Irrespective of her failure as an activist, her feminism deserves comprehensive assessment. Her feminism can be characterized by emphasizing not only equal rights in public sphere, but also domestic and sexual liberation. Although she appears to have held a stereotyped image of femininity in elevating motherhood to the most fundamental human relationship, it is also undeniable that she is a significant precursor of the present-day feminism.