Was There a Place for Women in Russian Revolutionary Movements Essay

Was There a Place for Women in Russian Revolutionary Movements - Essay Example From 1905 to 1917, women played significant roles in the Russian revolution as they joined the Bolshevik party and became passionate about the cause being advanced by the party5. Their passion mostly stemmed from their desire to gain more rights beyond their traditional Russian female role, but they also showed that they had the ability to work as hard as their male counterparts in order to secure the rights and freedom of all Russians6. Women during the Bolshevik revolution applied the demeanour of the tverdia which translates to being hard and resolved7. These women also had to be rational, merciless, and unsentimental; their loyalty had to unquestionably be directed to the party and not even to themselves or their family (19). In order to comply with this demand, many of these women had to hold off on getting married or having children; others who were already mothers had to be ready to take the risk of bringing their children to the underground hideouts, sometimes even letting th eir children aid in the revolution8. Women became a major symbol of what the Bolshevik revolution was trying to achieve. They became a symbol of causes like equal rights and opportunity which the revolution was fighting for9. These causes were also hailed by the male Bolsheviks as they believed that these were courageous and decisive goals. Support from the men encouraged more women to join the revolution. However, this support was all for show because beyond the eyes and ears of the women, their efforts were mocked10. Moreover, negative rumours were spread about them, with many of them labelled as promiscuous, ignorant, and deviant. Despite the negative rumblings about these revolutionary women, the lower classes of women were still stirred to... Based on the above discussion, there was a place for women in Russian revolutionary movements. The revolutions which were launched at various points of Russia’s history clamoured for equal rights and better work conditions for all. Women initially had a less active role in these revolutions, however, during the 1905 Bolshevik Revolution, they started to take on a more active role. The Bolshevik Party, however, did not take the role of women seriously during the 1905 revolution. Although they supported it to some degree, they did not fully acknowledge the role of women in the revolution. The fact that the women’s movements were not organized at this point also played the role in the lack of widespread support for their cause. In the years leading up to the 1917 February Revolution however, the women were more organized and passionate in their goals. They were also more united and were able to gain the support of many men in launching the revolution against the government . This paper makes a conclusion that as the 1917 Revolution gained the necessary victory for the Bolshevik Party, the women’s place and role in the revolution garnered more support from the Party. Their impact on the government reforms proved to be valuable and these reforms were eventually implemented under the Party and the Soviet Union. They were able to protect their traditional roles, even as they shunned political seats and power. The reforms and rights they sought to secure are protected to date and have served as a momentous precedent for other women in the global setting.