Feminist Synthesis Essay

If Kollontai’s policies faced such opposition from the Bolshevik leadership on a purely theoretical level, her political career faced opposition on a magnified level. Following the October Revolution, Lenin and his new government appointed Kollontai to the Commissar of Social Welfare, making her the only female member of the new government. Kollontai initially saw the position as an opportunity to enact real social change. Likewise, many considered her position in the cabinet as evidence of the government’s dedication to the women’s movement’s cause. She later called it a time of “magnificent illusions” in her autobiography, signaling her appointment served more to placate her and her contemporaries rather than enact real change. Kollontai’s

Once more Stites argued the continued presence of Lenin at such conferences demonstrated his devotion to the cause. However, Lenin’s words proved as evidence to the contrary. While discussing the creation of community organizations which would take on the household burdens, Lenin stated, “the emancipation of working women is a matter for working women themselves.” Carol Hayden argued Lenin’s line of thinking actually served to perpetuate the traditional patriarchy by continuing the division of labor along gender lines. Lenin also states men will not assist in women’s work. Considering he made these statements only months after the October Revolution, the argument of Lenin willing to work with the Women’s Movement seems strained at best. Inasmuch, Bolshevik leaders did not become sidetracked as months passed in the young Soviet Union, but, in their eyes, women fully attained emancipation with the success of the October

In fact, the commission had no tangible government power and unwillingly relied on the cooperation of local government bodies to support their works. Furthermore, it caused the commission’s local branches to be underfunded and understaffed as local officials opposed the idea of the organization taking their wives away from the family. Even the local branch in Moscow, chronologically understaffed and possessing only two to three workers at any given time, suffered. Given such organizational problems within the Women’s Commission, Kollontai and her fellow women in the movement pleaded with the Soviet leaders to grant the commission formal recognition as a party apparatus, which would grant them the necessary resources to carry out their work. The foundation of the Zhenotdel, or the Women’s Department, in September 1919 satisfied their pleas. It linked together all of the branches of the Women’s Commission underneath the leadership of the Moscow branch. It granted the Zhenotdel the full power of a party apparatus, allowing them access to a larger amount of funding as well as official authority to enforce its policies. Unfortunately, it did not coincide with an increase in staffing for the new department as it allotted only eight workers—five for office duties and three to service every village—to each provincial