The Baba And The Comrade Gender And Politics

1005 Words3 Pages

Berlande Benoit
His 336
Short Paper Assignment # 3
Option C

The Baba and the Comrade Gender and Politics in Revolutionary Russia by Elizabeth A. Wood describes The Russian Revolution as an revolution that would bring equality to women at least in theory. To start off, women during the revolution were referred to and encouraged to be Comrades, which was a term, used because it has not gender differentiations. Prior to becoming Comrades, Russian women were seen as babas, which stood for backwards, and primitive women. These babas had to become Comrade in order to illustrated women equality to men. The transformation of these women had led to the formation of Zhenotdel. Zhenotdel was a department of the Russian Communist party devoted to improve the living conditions women and ensure their equality and freedom. However, the emancipation of women did not follow terms as promise during the revolution specifically with the introduction of New Economy Policy, which led to a huge contradiction to women's identity.
Bolsheviks entered the political world in 1917 with the ideas of deliberating women and making them equal to men as well as this idea of westernizing Russia. Based on the book, both ideas were closely associated. Women were seen as raw materials that can be used to transform. As a result, women who were already member of the Communists party were sent to the countryside to transform primitive women also known as babas and transformed them into Comrades, the free and knowledgeable women. These transformed women would then move to the city and work in factories and industrial workshop to westernize and industrialize Russia and that will symbolize women freedom and equality to men. Even though these women will have a much lower...

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... During the Total War, men were sent to war and women were needed therefore women were free and as free citizen must help their nation. As soon as the war was over they were no longer needed and sent back home and continue their unpaid domestic work. As one of the propaganda image showed in class illustrated women who didn’t help during wartime can be prosecuted for murder. How are women free if they can’t make their choice of rather or not to be involved in a war? Where is the freedom of choice? Wood’s book illustrates how women are utilized as both babas and comrade or Mary and Eve with this notion of women emancipation. The government really believes women are primitive and unintellectual since they are playing with their desire and making them their little puppet. In time of war, used them for work and in time of peace used them as babas and subordinate to men.

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