Cold War Women: The International Activities of American Women's Organisations

This volume is an examination of the internationalist ambitions of American women's organisations in the years 1945 to 1960. After the Second World War, women around the globe claimed that to avoid more death and devastation in the Atomic Age, they must promote internationalism and strive together for a peaceful future. However, as the Cold War escalated, American women abandoned the internationalist outlook of their foreign sisters in favour of solidarity with their national brothers. Far from being advocates of internationalism, many of these women became active agents for Americanism. Additionally, the author asserts that American women were supported by their government, from advice and direction through to the financial backing of the CIA.