Essay Database

Ellen was born on December 11, 1849, and died on April 25, 1926. Born into a wealthy family, Ellen Key enjoyed the benefits of a good education. When her father became a liberal member of the Swedish parliament, Ellen gained a solid political foundation. She began teaching in Stockholm in the late 1870s and soon after began lecturing on social issues. Ellen's views were decidedly pro-woman, although some early feminists bridled against the great value Ellen attached to motherhood …

…became one of the best-selling and most-discussed books of its time. Two years after its publication, Ellen began a six-year lecture tour of Europe. World War I may have dimmed some of Ellen's optimism about the future. A liberal pacifist, she promoted Sweden's neutrality during the war. She did not live to see the even greater horrors of the Second World War which may have had an even greater effect on her vision for humankind.