Internationella kvinnoförbundet för fred och frihet (IKFF)

About the archive

The archive of Internationella kvinnoförbundet för fred och frihet (B 36) includes protocols, member lists, correspondence, accounts, photographs and more, and covers the years 1912–1999. The archive amounts to about 350 volumes. 

There are some additional accessions awaiting inventory, and some audiovisual materials have been transferred to the National Library of Sweden.

Many of the members of IKFF have been widely active within the IKFF framework, as well as in other associations beyond the organisation. Frequently, materials that belong on both sides of this "framework" have been held together, meaning that sometimes the contents of the IKFF archive has another archive holder.

For further information, cfr the Kirsti Kolthoff collection A 149, the Harriet Otterloo collection A 190, the archive of the Elin Wägner scholarship B 35 and Den stora fredsresan B 65.

History

In 1915, 1 136 women from both warring and neutral states gathered for a peace congress in the Hague. They protested against the First World War, and sought to study and eliminate the root causes of war. This was the formation of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, WILPF.

In 1919, the same year that Swedish women gained the right to vote, a Swedish section of the international organisation was established. The Swedish section was named Internationella Kvinnoförbundet för Fred och Frihet (IKFF) and its first chair was Matilda Widegren 1919–1934. The purpose of the IKFF was to create a platform where women could work for peace and freedom by claiming the right and responsibility of women to take part in the decision-making for all aspects of peace and security. 

Early on, the values of the WILPF were celebrated and adopted by some of the most powerful leaders of the world. The 1915 manifesto from the Hague, adopted by the WILPF, provided nine of the famous fourteen points of president Wilson - the basis for a set of principles for peace that was used when Germany and its allies agreed to a ceasefire in November 1918. Two of the founders of the WILPF have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize; Jane Addams in 1931, and Emily Green Balch in 1946. The WILPF are active within ICAN, the global disarmament campaign that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017.

The IKFF were selling peace flowers (pictured above) costing 25 öre each, where 20 öre were donated to various charity efforts for each year, such as refugee aid, German pediatric hospitals, child care facilities in India and so on. Often, the sellers were schoolchildren, who earned a 5 öre provision.

The association remains active to this day, working from a feminist security analysis. The organisation prevent conflicts by promoting humanitarian safety, disarmament and the meaningful participation of women. They conduct political lobbying and create public opinion on local, national and international levels. 

This text is based partially on the IKFF website information. 

Locate the archive

Archive inventories and further details are available through Alvin. Please contact KvinnSam if you have any further questions about the archives of Internationella kvinnoförbundet för fred och frihet.

Read more

IKFF - Internationella Kvinnoförbundet för fred & frihet

IKFF materials via LIBRIS