in 1911, she explained why she became active in the struggle for women's suffrage: Formally, Bergman was chairman 1914–1917, but in reality, she was pointed out as the central figure of the Swedish suffrage movement both by its members as well as by the press from the start. This is illustrated by contemporary media, where she was frequently caricatured as the (The Suffrage General). She was a social democrat, described as firm and effective, and is referred to as the dominant force within the organisation's central committee and the brain behind its actions, collections and meetings. She was also the organiser of the congress of the Sixth Conference of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance in 1911, which was described as a great success of the LKPR. In 1911, the politically right-wing chair of the LKPR, Lydia Wahlström, resigned as chair officially for health reasons. In reality, the LKPR, which had a policy of political neutrality, had adopted a new policy of boycotting political parties that opposed women's suffrage. In reality, this meant that the LKPR was no longer politically neutral, as the only Swedish party which opposed women's suffrage was the conservative party. As Wahlström was herself a conservative, she resigned, which caused conflicts between right-wing and left-wing women in the LKPR. As Bergman, who was regarded as the obvious choice for the next chair, was known for her socialist opinions, the former and more apolitical chairman Anna Whitlock was regarded as a more non-controversial choice. Bergman was therefore not formally made chair until the conflicts had calmed down in 1914. In 1917, there was a majority in the parliament of parties favourable to women's suffrage, but a motion for women's suffrage was still voted down. This caused Bergman to resign from her position. References Svensk uppslagsbok. Malmö 1939 Further reading External links 1869 births 1960 deaths Swedish suffragists Politicians from Stockholm Swedish feminists 20th-century Swedish women politicians 20th-century Swedish politicians