Women’s Day Russia
Women’s Right to Vote in Russia
July 20, (1917)

Number of female heads of state to date: 0

Nina Kraviz (Russian: Нина Кравиц, romanized: Nina Kravits) is a Russian DJ, music producer and singer.

The women’s right to vote in Russia has a significant historical background and was closely linked to the country’s political developments in the early 20th century.

The suffrage movement in Russia gained momentum in the early 20th century, with women advocating for equal rights, including the right to vote and participate in the political process. The movement was part of a broader wave of feminist activism and social change during that time.

During the Russian Revolution of 1917, significant political and social transformations took place. As a result, women’s suffrage became one of the central issues on the political agenda. In July 1917, under the Provisional Government, women in Russia gained the right to vote and stand for election.

This historic achievement made Russia one of the first countries in the world to grant women full suffrage. The new law abolished gender-based voting restrictions, ensuring that women had equal voting rights as men.

The women’s right to vote in Russia was not limited to parliamentary elections but also extended to other political bodies. Women participated in the Constituent Assembly elections in 1918, and female delegates were elected to the assembly.

However, the political landscape in Russia changed with the rise of the Soviet Union. In 1918, the Bolshevik government dissolved the Constituent Assembly and established a one-party rule, leading to restrictions on political pluralism and the suppression of various social and political groups.

Under Soviet rule, the concept of elections and political participation evolved, with the establishment of the Communist Party as the ruling party. While women theoretically had the right to vote, political power was concentrated within the Communist Party, limiting the genuine democratic representation and participation of women and other groups.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia underwent significant political and social changes. Women’s rights and gender equality have been important issues on the agenda, and efforts have been made to address gender disparities and promote women’s participation in politics.

However, despite legal provisions and ongoing efforts, women in Russia continue to face challenges in achieving full political representation and equal opportunities in politics. Women’s political participation and representation in decision-making positions remain relatively low, and gender disparities persist.

The women’s right to vote in Russia represents an important milestone in the country’s history and reflects the role of women in shaping the political landscape. It underscores the significance of women’s political empowerment and their contribution to the development of democratic processes. Continued efforts are needed to address the remaining challenges and ensure that women’s voices are fully heard and represented in Russian politics.

In 1906 Finland pioneered the question of women’s suffrage for both Scandinavia and Europe and served as a model for post-revolutionary Russia. Russia was the first great power to grant women the right to vote.

Women’s suffrage was first introduced in 1917. In May 1917 a law was passed giving Russian citizens over 20 the right to elect the Constituent Assembly. July 20, 1917 was celebrated by women as the big day on which the Provisional Government ratified the Constituent Assembly Election Act, which gave gender equality. This achievement was short-lived: in the November Revolution of 1917, the Bolsheviks took power and established a communist regime. The post-revolutionary constitution of 1918 confirmed the active and passive right to vote for women.

In 1922, Maria Alexandrovna Spiridonova was the first woman to be elected to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR . After independence in 1990, sixty women were elected to the 449-seat lower house in December 1993 and 9 women to the upper house with 176 members.
> https://second.wiki/wiki/frauenwahlrecht_in_ostmittel-_und_osteuropa

Women and the Russian Revolution

From the mid-19th century, Russian intellectuals, such as the anarchist Petr Kropotkin, began to take an interest in the ‘woman question’. These intellectuals, mostly men and a few noblewomen, debated in salons and the press on the issue of women’s legal and social status and their role in the family.

The campaign for women’s suffrage and equality in Russia gained momentum during and after the 1905 Revolution. More radical groups, such as the Russian Union for Women’s Equality, and journals dedicated to the ‘woman question’ were established.

Bolshevik revolutionaries were critical of what they saw as the ‘bourgeois’ women’s groups, which were mainly run by women from privileged backgrounds. They argued that these ‘bourgeois’ women could not understand the needs of workers and peasant women and that the women’s movement threatened working-class solidarity.

On the newly-established Women’s Day in 1914, a group of Bolshevik women, including Konkordiia Samoilova, Nadezhda Krupskaia and Inessa Armand, published the first Russian socialist women’s journal, Rabotnitsa (The Woman Worker). However, the journal was careful to distance itself from feminist issues. Rabotnitsa ceased publication after only seven issues but was revived in 1917 and became one of the main Bolshevik publications.

After the February Revolution, the fight for women’s suffrage increased, in line with the general call for the implementation of democratic reforms. Along with educated women of the intelligentsia, female workers and peasants also called for the right to vote.

In March 1917, the largest women’s demonstration in Russia’s history took place in Petrograd. Led by Poliksena Shishkina-Iavein, President of the League for Women’s Equal Rights and Russia’s first female gynecologist, and the revolutionary Vera Figner, the march was attended by up to 40,000 women.

In July 1917, women over 20 were given the right to vote and hold public office. The first opportunity to exercise their newly-won right was during elections for the Constituent Assembly in November 1917. In many areas, such as Yaroslavl, the female turnout exceeded that of men.
bl.uk/women-and-the-russian-revolution


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