Constance Markievicz (1868–1927), born to the privileged Protestant upper class in Ireland, embraced suffrage before scandalously leaving for a bohemian life in London and then Paris. She would become known for her roles as politician and Irish revolutionary nationalist. Her husband, Casimir Dunin Markievicz (1874–1932), a painter, playwright, and theater director, was a Polish noble who would eventually join the Russian imperial army to fight on behalf of Polish freedom during World War I. Revolutionary Lives offers the first dual biography of these two prominent European activists and artists. Tracing the Markieviczes' entwined and impassioned trajectories, biographer Lauren Arrington sheds light on the avant-garde cultures of London, Paris, and Dublin, and the rise of anti-imperialism at the turn of the twentieth century. Drawing from new archival material, including previously untranslated newspaper articles, Arrington explores the interests and concerns of Europeans invested in suffrage, socialism, and nationhood. Unlike previous works, Arrington's book brings Casimir Markievicz into the foreground of the story and explains how his liberal imperialism and his wife's socialist republicanism arose from shared experiences, even as their politics remained distinct. Arrington also shows how Constance did not convert suddenly to Irish nationalism, but was gradually radicalized by the Irish Revival. Correcting previous depictions of Constance as hero or hysteric, Arrington presents her as a serious thinker influenced by political and cultural contemporaries. Revolutionary Lives places the exciting biographies of two uniquely creative and political individuals and spouses in the wider context of early twentieth-century European history.

A biography of Countess Constance Georgina (Gore-Booth) Markievicz (1863-1927). She was a child of Henry Gore-Booth, heir to the baronetcy of Lissadell, County Sligo, and of his wife, Georgina Hill of Tickhill Castle in Yorkshire, whose grandfather was Lord Scarborough. Shortly after her birth, Constance was brought to Lissadell Court in County Sligo. She went to Paris to study art, and in 1901 married a Polish widower, Count Casimir Dunin Markievicz. They moved to Dublin in 1903, where she became a committed socialist and (in spite of being born an Anglo-Irish) an increasingly fervent Irish nationalist. "She was one of the first women to face many of the problems associated with nationalist struggles and feminism which are still hotly debated today. Constance Markiewicz was also the first woman to be elected to the British Parliament and the first woman to become a Minister of State in any European government"--Back lining paper.

Countess Constance Markievicz - one of the most remarkable women in Irish history - was a revolutionary, a socialist and a feminist, as well as an artist and writer. A natural leader, "Madame," as she was known to thousands of Dubliners, took an active part in the 1916 Rising and was one of the few leaders to escape execution. Instead, she spent an arduous year in an English prison, surrounded by murderers, prostitutes and thieves. Later, during another stretch in prison, she would make history as the first woman elected to the British Houses of Parliament, and momentous event that is due to receive widespread commemoration at the time of its centenary in December 2018. Lindie Naughton's compelling biography sheds light on all facets of Markievicz's life - her privileged upbringing in County Sligo, her adventures as an art student in London and Paris, her marriage to an improbable Polish count, her political education, her several prison terms, and her emergence as one of the pivotal figures in early 20th century Britain and Ireland. Constance Markievicz, a woman with a huge heart, battled all her adult life to establish an Irish republic based on co-operation and equality for all. Her message is as relevant today as it was a century ago.

The Prison Letters of Countess Markievicz were first published in 1932 as a classic of feminist literature. Now restored to their original form by leading Markievicz expert, Lindie Naughton, this new edition features previously unpublished letters that Markievicz sent to family members and friends, offering a unique insight into her extraordinary life. After escaping the firing squad for her part in the 1916 Easter Rising, she was sentenced to life imprisonment and transferred to Mountjoy Jail and later sent to other prisons including Holloway in London and Cork Jail. Through these letters, recounting her feelings, political beliefs, opinions on world events and the minutiae of her domestic life, we hear the voice of a remarkable woman, full of life and spirit; a supporter of the underdog, who never gave up the fight for a more equal society. The first woman elected as an MP to the House of Commons, Markievicz is a controversial figure in Irish and British history but has remained a shadowy symbol of Ireland's revolutionary past. The real Markievicz shines through her letters to tell the story of one of Ireland s most remarkable citizens, in her own words.

This book is an analytical study of the history of modern socialism from 1889, when the Second International was founded, up to the present. The biographical portraits of the individuals chosen in this study provide insight into important issues in socialist history. These contrasting studies of twenty prominent socialistsómajor thinkers and important activists or agitatorsóilluminate particular problems in the historical evolution of socialism. The book's final chapter offers a substantial analysis of developments in the post-war period and an exploration of the crises facing contemporary world socialism in all its guises.