Feminism has reached a critical momentum from which there is no turning back. A truly global movement as dynamic in the developing world as it is in the West, feminism has helped women achieve authority in politics, sports and business, and has mobilized public concern for once-taboo issues like rape, domestic violence and breast cancer. Freedman begins this compelling new history with an analysis of what feminism means and why it took root in western Europe and the U.S. at the end of the 18th century. The rationalist, humanistic philosophy of the Enlightenment, which ignited the American Revolution, also sparked feminist politics, inspiring pioneers like Mary Wollstonecraft and Susan B. Anthony. Freedman also traces the intricate ties between women's rights and abolitionism in the U.S., and the long tradition of radical women of colour. As feminism became more widespread and sophisticated after WWII, its impact began to be felt in every aspect of society from the workplace to government to relations between the sexes. The line between the personal and the political became blurred, and issues once considered 'merely' private - abortion, sexual violence, homosexuality, reproductive health, beauty and body image entered the public arena as subjects of fierce debate. Freedman combines a scholar's meticulous research with a critic's keen eye. Sweeping in its scope, searching in its analysis and global in its perspective, No Turning Back will stand as a defining text of the most important social movement of our time.