Why read Women, the State and Revolution?

Book cover of Women, the State and Revolution: Soviet Family Policy and Social Life, 1917 1936

Book description

When the Bolsheviks came to power in 1917, they believed that under socialism the family would 'wither away.' They envisioned a society in which communal dining halls, daycare centres, and public laundries would replace the unpaid labour of women in the home. Yet by 1936 legislation designed to liberate women…

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European history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Women, the State and Revolution as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Kristen R. Ghodsee

Author

This deeply researched book explores the massive upheavals that followed the Bolshevik Revolution in the young Soviet Union. By mining a rich body of archival research, Goldman reveals just how radical Soviet policies to emancipate women really were in their historical context. More importantly, she uncovers the heated debates that characterized this early period of Soviet history before the rigidity and paranoia of Stalinism takes over and he reverses many of the early gains.

From Kristen's list on The best books about women and socialism.