The GuardianThe Guardian

International Women's Day: Who was Clara Zetkin?

By Lauren Niland

08 Mar 2022 · 1 min read

The 8th of March marks International Women's Day, a day with over a century of history and change behind it.

Originally known as International Working Women's Day, its roots lie in the socialist, rather than feminist, struggle of the early 20th century. Although national days had been celebrated prior to 1911, the 18 March of that year marked the first International day, following a proposal from German communist Clara Zetkin.

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