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World's Woman's Christian Temperance Union

  • Reference work entry
International Encyclopedia of Civil Society

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Address of Organization

Rygjehaugvn. 13 4265 Haavik Terrasse Karmøy Norway www.wwctu.com

Introduction

One of the oldest international women's organizations, the World's Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WWCTU) has played an important historical role in the promotion of wider objectives such as peace and women's suffrage in addition to temperance. It currently boasts “approximately forty” national branches, and its peak dues-paying membership was 766,000 in 1927.

Brief History

The WWCTU was conceived in 1883 by Frances Willard, president of the national Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in the United States, which (having been founded in 1874) describes itself as “the oldest continuing nonsectarian woman's organization in the world.” The world organization was designed to confront what was perceived as a transnational problem of alcohol and other drug use, and its first world convention took place in Boston in 1891.

Mission

Having previously defined its objective as “the...

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References/Further Readings

  • Staunton, D. (1956). Our goodly heritage: A historical review of the world's woman's christian temperance union, 1883–1956. London: Walthamstow Press.

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  • Tyrrell, I. (1991). Woman's world/woman's empire: The woman's christian temperance union in international perspective, 1880–1930. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. City University, London, Flat 1, 39 Wentworth St., E1 7TD, London, UK

    Thomas Davies

Authors
  1. Thomas Davies
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Helmut K. Anheier

  2. Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, Germany

    Helmut K. Anheier

  3. George Mason University, Arlington, VA, USA

    Stefan Toepler

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© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Davies, T. (2010). World's Woman's Christian Temperance Union. In: Anheier, H.K., Toepler, S. (eds) International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_781

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_781

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-93994-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-93996-4

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