World War I

In World War One the labour movement was split on whether to cooperate in the War or to take no part and work for peace and against the mass killing. The New Zealand Communist Party was one of the few Communist Parties in the world to take a strong stand against the war from its onset. However the influence of the Communist Party was small and the labour movement generally succumbed to patriotic fervour and support for the war. What was left of the Women's Movement at this time was abandoned for the war effort.