WOMEN’S ANTI-FASCIST FRONT OF YUGOSLAVIA AND ITS DISSOLUTION – AN EXAMPLE OF PATRIARCHAL (DIS)CONTINUITY

Abstract

The organization that enabled women to independently politically organize and mobilize as many women as possible was the Women’s Anti-Fascist Front of Yugoslavia (AFŽJ). The First National Conference of AFŽJ was held in Bosanski Petrovac in 1942. The Women’s Anti-Fascist Front of Yugoslavia continued its activities in the postwar period. Its basic goals, as defined at the First Congress held in Belgrade from 16 to 19 of June 1945, were reconstruction of the war-torn country and humanitarian activities. However, the activities of AFŽ greatly depended on the instructions of the Communist Party and the People’s Front. The Second Congress, held from 25 to 27 in January 1948, was a great incentive for its work. A high level of Party mobilization was seen at the Congress motivated by the launching of the first five year plan. The Third Congress of this organization, held in Zagreb from the 28th to 29th October 1950, raised the issue of merging AFŽ with the People’s Front. The Fourth Congress dissolved AFŽ on the basis of the arguments presented by the speakers and simultaneously established the Association of Women’s Societies that in its form and activities differed from AFŽ and as such never managed to have the same impact on society as AFŽ undoubtedly had.