Minna Cauer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Minna Cauer
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Minna Cauer c. 1907
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| Born | 1 November 1841 |
| Died | 3 August 1922 |
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Minna Cauer (born Wilhelmine Theodore Marie Schelle on November 1, 1841, in Freyenstein; died August 3, 1922, in Berlin) was an important German woman. She was a teacher, a writer, and a strong supporter of women's rights. She worked hard to improve life for women, especially those from middle-class families.
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Minna Cauer's Early Life
Minna Cauer grew up in Freyenstein, a town in the Province of Brandenburg. Her father was a Lutheran pastor. In 1862, she married August Latzel, who was a teacher and a doctor with progressive ideas. Sadly, he passed away in 1866.
After this, Minna trained to become a teacher herself. She worked in Paris for one year. Later, she married Eduard Cauer, who was a school inspector. They moved to Berlin together.
Becoming a Women's Rights Leader
In 1881, Minna Cauer became a widow for the second time. She went back to teaching and began to study women's history. She became very interested in women's rights.
In 1888, she started an organization called the Women's Welfare Association (Frauenwohl) in Berlin. She led this group until 1919. The association worked to improve rights for women.
Helping Women Get an Education
Minna Cauer believed that education was very important for women. She worked with Helene Lange and Franzisca Tiburtius to create a special high school for girls in Berlin. This school, called Realkurse, opened in 1889. It was the first school to help women prepare for university studies.
She also helped women in their jobs. In 1889, she founded the Commercial Union of Female Salaried Employees. This was one of the first trade unions for women that was not focused on politics. In 1893, she helped start the Girls' and Women's Groups for Social Assistance Work.
Working with Other Activists
Minna Cauer joined forces with other important women's rights leaders. In 1894, she worked with Anita Augspurg and Marie Stritt to create the Federation of German Women's Associations (FGWA). This was a big group that brought many women's associations together.
From 1895 to 1919, she wrote for a feminist newspaper called Die Frauenbewegung (The Women's Movement). In 1896, she was the president of a major event in Berlin. This was the International Congress of Women's Work and Women's Endeavours. It was the first international meeting for women held in Germany.
Fighting for Women's Vote
Minna Cauer became more and more determined to fight for women's rights. In 1899, she helped create the Union of Progressive Women's Associations.
In 1902, the idea of women voting became very popular. Minna Cauer, along with Anita Augspurg, Lida Gustava Heymann, and Marie Stritt, started the German Union for Women's Suffrage. This group worked for women's right to vote. They also campaigned for moral improvements in society.
Minna Cauer was sometimes frustrated when political parties did not support women's suffrage. In 1908, she started a more active group called the Prussian Union for Women's Suffrage. She also joined a left-leaning political group called the Democratic Union.
She left the suffrage union in 1912. In 1914, she joined a new German Women's Suffrage Association. During World War I, the women's suffrage movement faced challenges. Minna Cauer then focused on working for peace.
Her writings and important documents are kept at the International Institute of Social History.
See also
In Spanish: Minna Cauer para niños
