Did the Bolshevik Revolution Improve the Lives of
Soviet Women?
History 152: World Civilization 1500 to the Present
Professor Beswick
November 5, 2003
Yes: Richard Stites argues that the Bolshevik
Revolution improved the lives of soviet women and that many of the
women movements during the time of the Russian Revolution helped to
take steps toward emancipation. Stites feels that yes, many efforts to
gain ground toward improving soviet women’s rights were torn to the
ground, but that feminist movements opened up the eyes of many men and
women.
Before the revolution, women’s rights were gaining
ground with many of Russia’s political parties. They were gaining so
much ground, that women were actually a part of many of the parties.
The Constitutional Democrats, Socialist Revolutionary party,
Mensheviks, and Bolsheviks all support the feminist movement, but
didn’t help the advancement of women’s rights in Russia.
A great patron to the women’s rights movement
combined with socialism was Alexandra Kollontai. She felt that women
had special needs that the Marxist program didn’t address and insisted
that working women needed to have their own self-awareness. She pushed
hard for women to have independence in the household and workforce, and
that housekeeping should be an industrial task, handled by specialists
rather than by the wife of the household. Stites uses her as an example
of someone who got the women’s rights movement headed toward the great
steps it would be taking during and after the revolution.
During the revolution Kollontai, along with other
women, committed themselves to making women aware of the rights they
had and the opportunities that were available to them. Stites states
that Lenin was an encouraging factor during the revolution in the fact
he hated the domestic enslavement of women to household work. Women
started to obtain equal status in marriage, right to change name,
divorce, and ownership of property. Stites also points out that
Zhenotdel, which was a part of the Women’s Department of the Communist
Party, made big strides for women during the revolution by going into
factories and remote villages to bring the news of revolution and
address the practical concerns of women. They fought very hard against
prostitutions and unemployment for women.
Stites ends by saying that after the revolution,
even the construction of houses were built differently to emphasize
equality of household duties between men and women. Because of the
revolution, the Soviet Union took big strides in equality between men
and women, and that many of the ideas of feminism stuck around even
after the revolution.
No: Francoise Navailh opposes Stites saying
that yes, women gained legal rights and took great steps towards equal
rights, but conversing these rights into a new way of life didn’t
happen so easily. Navailh has no problem stating that before the
revolution women were gaining great power and that laws concerning
women were quickly being adopted. Because of the equality movements and
women’s rights, new divorce policies were granted, civil marriages
could occur, women didn’t have to except their husband’s name, and
husbands and wives shared absolute equality.
Navailh also agrees with Stites in saying that
Kollontai was a big activist for the equality of women and believed
that women should be relieved of their traditional duties and that it
should no longer be a private affair but a social duty. She was well
known for strongly opposing those who refused to bear children.
Navailh differs from Stites in the fact that she
doesn’t think the revolution helped women gain equality, because after
it was all said and done, women had trouble keeping their rights
around. Navailh states that she feels the Zhenotdel was a great system
for women’s rights, but all to often was used to convey the wishes of
the hierarchy to the people. Unintended consequences came about from
the new freedoms; marital instability and widespread reluctance to have
children. Orphanages became overloaded, abortions were rapidly
happening, and the murders of wives increased.
Men had to start paying for the wives and children
that they left behind, but didn’t have enough money to do so. The
waiting list for housing became extremely long, women had to start
having abortions because there wasn’t enough housing and money to pay
for the child, and most of the people were still peasants. Navailh puts
in well when she states, “women wanted stability, men declined
responsibility, and the Party wanted to keep its program on course.
Because of the revolutions women now had more jobs then they bargained
for and their household responsibilities grew.
My Opinion: I would say that I agree with Navailh. I feel that
before the revolution and even during parts of the revolution women’s
rights and equality were taking great strides. But, I feel that the
result of the revolution didn’t leave women’s rights better off, but
left them trying to find a way to fit into society. During the
revolution people became to poor to allow all these freedoms for women
to occur, and instead needed women to carry an even bigger load in the
work force because of the absence of men who were fighting in wars.
The revolution didn’t improve the lives of women in
the way that women wanted it too. They became more useful in the work
force, at home, and in governmental positions, but not for the
independence and freedom that they were seeking. During the revolution,
women had to give up some of the freedoms that were given to them prior
to the revolution in order to make the Soviet economy work and in a
sense took a step backwards in the women’s rights and equality
movements.
Professor Beswick’s notes: The only markings that Professor
Beswick put on my paper was three check marks after the three sections
I wrote about and my grade, a 96% out of 100%, on the back of the
paper. She wrote no additional comments.
Source: Mitchell, Joseph, Helen Buss
Mitchell.
Taking Sides Clashing Views on Controversial
Issues in World History . Vol.II. 2001.