WWII women showed strength in everything they did including using writing to help build a better world. We can use their efforts today in our modern activism.
Considering I’m a blogger that has in interest in the mid-century, it’s likely no surprise that I find the women writers of WWII very interesting. They played a big role in fighting fascism both in Allies countries and the Axis countries.
Their activism has inspired my own activism and I continue to seek to learn more about them to improve my own work. There were so many amazing women that used the skills they had to reach more people and fight back. This was one time that sexism worked in their favor as those in powers greatly underestimated the power women had.
How we write and women’s roles in politics and conflict has changed a lot since WWII but we are still able to look at WWII women for inspiration for modern day activism.
Lessons from WWII Women Writers for Today
Fight Back Against Misinformation and Propaganda in Media
Authoritarianism and fascism rely heavily on propaganda and misinformation to grow. In 2003, political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt wrote an article titled Fascism Anyone? He used his background in the study of the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile) to highlight the 14 elements they all had in common.
The 6th characteristic is controlled mass media. Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government but other times its indirectly controlled through regulation, sympathetic media spokespeople and executives.
One amazing example of WWII women fighting back against government controlled media is the secret Italy newspaper La Riscossa Italiana. They used a hidden printing press to create feminist leaflets and the anti-fascist newspaper.
The La Riscossa Italiana featured articles detailing efforts of the anti-fascist movement and also help report falsehoods in the fascist counterpart that was government controlled. People risked beatings and even death just for having a copy of La Riscossa Italiana.
Today we do not currently face the same type of risks but we do still face a lot of misinformation and propaganda and are also seeing attacks on the freedom of press.
We can take inspiration from the women of WWII and use our voices to call out misinformation and propaganda. The first thing to do is make sure before you share things on social media fact check what you are sharing. You can also help share content that is working to combat misinformation and propaganda.
You can also take this a step further and create content on social media sharing factual news and working to debunk misinformation. If you are seeing the same misinformation repeatedly in spaces you are in create a post sharing why it’s misinformation and share the accurate information.
Writing Anti-Fascism Fictional Books
There is a reason book bans were such a vital part of the Nazis efforts. Reading can challenge our way of thinking and share new ideas with people. We often think about this more with non-fiction books but fiction reaches people that aren’t seeking out the information.
Natalie Tulone wrote a very interesting paper called “Rouse Yourselves Against Fascism”: Women’s Writing Tactics and the Antifascist Movement in Interwar Britain” where she highlights a lot of forms of writing but I find what she shares about fiction writing to be especially interesting.
She talks about women often wrote about how fascism affected women. Warning women of what life could look like if fascism was allowed to continue to spread.
Two distinct types of dystopian writing were common, dystopian fiction and feminist dystopia. Satire was also used like in Wigs on the Green by Nancy Mitford.
Authors now can also add historical fiction as a way to warn about fascism. One author I enjoy that does a good job of this is Madeline Martin. Her book The Last Bookshop in London shares a fictionalized story that highlights the very real struggles of people on the home front in London. It can help serve as a reminder of the cruelty of fascism and also how ordinary people can use their unique skills to fight back.
She also highlights the struggles of the people of Poland during the invasion in The Keeper of Hidden Books. While again fictionalized it talks about people working to save books from the book bans and also highlights other ways ordinary people were fighting back. It can serve as a warning as well as inspiration.
If you enjoy writing fiction this is a skill you can use to inspire and teach people. It doesn’t have to be full books, short stores on platforms like Medium and Substack can reach a large audience and allow you to use your writing skills to fight back like the women during WWII.
Writing Letters During WWII
We often think of letter writing during WWII as being women to soldiers. There was a lot of US propaganda telling women to write to the soldiers to boost their morale. But it wasn’t just letters to soldiers that were being written during WWII.
One example is Junta de la Victoria, itwas an organization that was committed to fighting fascism home and abroad. They helped Allies during WWII but they also sent letters of support to women in Allied countries.
Women all over also wrote to their government urging action against fascism. Without email or easy ways to call elected officials letters to elected officials were very important and have continued to be important.
How to Use These Lessons from WWII Today
These lessons from WWII women can help us in a modern resistance as well. By using the lessons from the past we can translate them into a modern approach that still allows modern homemakers to be active in politics and activism even if their focus is their homes.
These are some actions you can take from the lessons we have learned:
- Fight Misinformation: When you see misinformation online speak up. Share why its misinformation and when possible provide sources.
- Stop the Noise: Create content online that is aimed to fight back against common misinformation and cancel out some of that noise.
- Get the Word Out: Use writing to help get the word out about other actions that are happening.
- Inspire and Warn Others: Use writing skills to inspire and warn people. If you like to write fiction use those skills to show what could happen or to inspire.
- Reach Your Elected Officials: Write letters to local, state, and national politicians. Share how current issues impact you and your family and urge them to take action. For some inspiration check out Project Mail Storm.
- Connect with Others: Connection was one of the big reasons women used writing in WWII and you can still do that today. Send emails and letters to those you care about showing support and letting them know they are not alone.
Writing is one of those vintage skills we can use today to create change. And you don’t have to be a great writer to use this skill. I’m dyslexic but have found ways to use my voice through writing to reach people and fight for the things I believe in, so you can too!
Want to connect with others using vintage skills to inspire change? Join the Sustainability Collective. It’s an ad-free, moderated, private, and free to join community of likeminded people.
Deanna Piercy says
Great post! “The Last Bookshop in London” was wonderful. Thanks for giving it to me. 🙂