Essay Qs Flashcards
What was the role of women throughout the Russian Revolutionary Movement?
- As Propagandists:
Breshkovskaya and Spiridonova As SRs in early 20th century
- Breshkovskaya: actively cultivated “grandmother of the revolution” and “Babushka” images through manipulation of photographs and foreign friends. Kennan and other American “gentleman socialist” and feminist friends had frequent correspondance with her -> used familial language, sent them exclusively only photos of her with bouquets, etc instead of with terrorists or revolutionary iconography. Allowed speaking tour of 1904/05 US to go off and raise funds/awareness of the SR cause.
- When arrested in (1913?) and sentenced to solitary, doubles down on this by sending vulnerable images and especially familial language to followers in order to get international outcry against regime. KNOWS they’ll be leaked to press -> WP explicitly refers to her using Babushka terms, highlights advanced age
- Spiridonova: Assassinates state general in (1906?), arrested and then actively cultivates “Spiridonova Myth” of a frightened virgin. Implies sexual assault in letter sent to liberal press from prison. Works with SR party to erase mention of past male partners, downplay advancing age, SR party opens bookstores to sell postcards with her image, thereby spreading SR propaganda AND gaining funds.
- Shesterika 6 and her sent into exile to Nerchinsk, stop and propagate among the peasants at each train stop, pose with revolutionary banners defiantly at Nerchinsk and circulate these images. Value is that women must be hard pressed by govt too.
Perovskaia (1880s, People’s Will): father governor of SPB, elite. worked tutoring after leaving family, modest ascetic. Directs bombers.
- Women as martyrs WAY MORE EFFECTIVE -> FOREGROUND WOMEN USING POSTCARDS AND SUCH -> get sympathy/funds
- Admin positions: feminine notions of duty
- Movements such as the People’s Will still saw a highly gendered division of labour despite new freedoms enjoyed by women WITHIN the movement.
Masculine and feminine virtues of hard work and sacrifice both appeared; with men often being seen as “knights of the revolution” and throwing bombs and writing theory -> heroism and intellect
- Women were often (confined) to administrative roles -> anonymity and planning.
Figner as PW’s secratary for relations abroad 1880
- Helps establish Central Military Circle in naval bases in 1880 - had won over naval officers who saw hypocrisy of regime up close (how the tsar didn’t actually care about people
Zasulich shy, didn’t write (gendered, out of league) -> BUT Plekhanov terrible writer, so EDITS works to make them spicier -> not seen as major contributions. (PRACTICALITY VS IDEOLOGY)
- Therefore key works like made more accessible and Marxism becomes popular in Russia
Krupskaya:
- Helps establish initial contact between workers and Lenin -> teaching reading and writing to workers in SPB in 1893 -> meets Lenin and initiates contact between them, working as intermediary -> STORIES OF WORKER STRUGGLES USED AS EXAMPLES IN LENIN’S WRITINGS AT TIME TO EVIDENCE HIS IDEA THAT A WORKING CLASS ALREADY EXISTS IN RUSSIA BECAUSE OF SEASONAL MIGRATION
- Continues administrative role after marriage and membership in Bolshevik party:
- Krupskaya smuggling in issues of Iskra into Russia despite banning. Exploiting the Tsar’s negative relationship with Jews in order to smuggle in via Pale of Settlement -> allowing Bolshevik propaganda to spread.
- As domestic/financial supporters:
Perform domestic tasks (cooking) upon which rev society runs -> still gendered division of labour
- Parents (mothers, especially) vital to revolutionary movements and even introducing revs to radicalism
Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanova:
Following husband’s death, exploits position as a wealthy widow (and therefore NEWLY LIBERATED / INDEPENDENT WOMEN) to get sympathy from the state when advocating for revolutionary children.
-Petitions for her daughter Anna’s sentence to Siberian exile to be reduced, threatening to uproot her family and take children away from influence of the state. In the end does this and gets middle ground of Kazan (commuted)
- Provides emotional support -> regularly moves to be w/ kids in exile (Kazan), moves SPB (1895) when Vlad in prison
- Funds Vlad’s exile to Siberia, he’s comfortable in 1898
- Cites fact she’s old and needs care -> Anna Ulyanov asking for release so she could care for mother 1904 -> released from Kiev prison to care for Maria Alexandrovna Ulyanov
3. As agents / revs in the field -> newer opportunities men couldn’t do
DESPITE typical gendered divisions of labour within rev groups and the majority of “masculine” work being done by men, other women (and the ones we looked at lol) committed to the field and refused to accept this -> to the benefit of the revolutionary groups
- Zasulich: Attempts to assassinate Trepov, governor of SPB. She applied to interview as a governess and was thus less suspect than a man; also socially unacceptable to search women. LOTS of fabric wearing at this time for fashion, could therefore hide her weapon under he dress easily.
- Figner: Active revolutionary in the field. Makes bombs that eventually kill Alex II and helps organize the plot to end his life in 1881. Had studied to be doctor in Switzerland before committing to the cause
- Initially seen as “too good looking” for field work by male colleagues, however attitudes changed. She was able to use her charms to persuade railway officials to let her colleague have a job as a rail worker; thereby allowing him to plant the bombs for the 1879 attempt on Alexander II’s life.
- Upon failure of the first two plots against Alexander II, Figner was back-benched to Odessa by the Executive Committee. However, she disobeyed direct orders and went to SPB, the heart of revolutionary and terrorist activity. Refusing to be back-benched, she then participates and attains a leadership role in the successful 1881 plot to assassinate Alexander II.
- Generally policy of husband/wife pairs. Figner’s fake husband Alexander drew less suspicion when stationed together. First People’s Will meeting held in Figner and her fake husband’s apartments. Allowed for easier travel -> Figner travelling with partners to Odessa and such
- Establish successful cover when masquerading as cheese shop owners on successful 1881 attempt on Alex II’s life.
Revolutionary women taking on these roles despite being back-benched officially - evidence that when participating in political violence, individuals felt the need to have a central role in the action in order to justify their presence. Therefore, reveals underlying psychology of wanting personal action and purpose in the movement as opposed to revolutionaries being driven by hard idealism.
CONCLUSIONS:
- The outsized role of women in the Russian Revolutionary Movement during an era of disenfranchisement and political/economic/social inequality for women (no franchise, reliance on men for money via marriage) demonstrates that for many, the revolutionary lifestyle provided the most freedom for women in Russian society.
7/20 leaders of People’s Will were women -> free from the financial and marital constraints placed on women by living in communes and with fake marriages -> relying on funds from donors and party salaries as opposed to fathers and husbands.
What ultimately allowed the Bolsheviks to come to power (post-1905 Q)
Essentially, Bolsheviks were only able to achieve their meteoric rise to power because of missteps taken by their opposition. Specifically, the Bols were able to exploit fuck ups by the provisional governments, Nicholas II, and the Socialist Revolutionaries/Mensheviks to attain broader support and seize the system.
Media
Revolutionary Underground
How did NICK specifically undermine the autocracy/why did the autocracy collapse in the end? (Throughout entire reign)
Trying too hard to reassert autocratic authority
- Restrictions on Duma -> radicalization of peasants
- Taking administrative control in war
(secretiveness? Industrialization?)
WHEN was the Russian Revolution?
Figner
Vera backbenched, gender roles: GENDER / WOMEN / REV IDEOLOGY
- TOO GOOD LOOKING for field work, decide she needs a back bench role
- GENDER BIAS
- Men were theorists of group (masculine intellect), threw bombs
- Women were behind the scenes and administrative -> media
- “tendered mascluine but underpinned feminine”
- Masculine and feminine virtues incorporated into rev ideology
- M: martyrdom, sacrifice, heroism -> knights of revolution
- F: planning, public anonymity, imposed silence
- Most were behind the scenes -> “lost to history”
- Vera refuses to become like this -> too headstrong
- When you devote youself to political violence, you need a centre role in order to justify it
- Masculine notions of heroism
- Ultimately paradoxical motives of revs: self sacrifice and service but also personal glory and participation in history
- Charming, convinces the others to let her deploy
- Goes to Odessa w/ dynamite for train op (had never left province beyond Switzerland
Before getting official permission to do so, she leaves to join the next plot / action in SPB in 1880
- 1880: LIBERAL PRESS REFORMS BACKFIRE -> intensified propaganda and expanded membership
- Evidenced by: Vera is now PW’s secratary for relations abroad
- Also Central Military Circle is established in naval bases in 1880 - had won over naval officers who saw hypocrisy of regime up close (how the tsar didn’t actually care about people
Krupskaya
- READS MARX IN 1880S -> once its seen as valid because of industrialization happening around him (railway reforms, Zasulich, etc)
- Emphasizes importance of capitalist transformation on peasant class -> argues peasants ARE workers now because of seasonal migration to country -> could use urban workers to propagandize once they go home to countryside. Therefore capitalism already exists in Russia (extreme even for Marxists)
- 1893 establishes contact w/ workers in SPB -> Marxist circle meets (Krupskaya taught workers how to read). Used this to inform circle about worker lives -> you know workers ???! Dates lmao.
- Uses these stories as EXAMPLES / evidence for writings -> uses Krupskaya as mole
- Overall becomes convinced that capitalism exists and workers ready to overthrow rev
- 1895 -> Union of Struggle for Liberation of Working Class -> contact with Plekhano
