Author: Ruthchild, Rochelle Goldberg

Source: Aspasia, Volume 1 , pp. 1-35(35)

Abstract:

Two of the earliest women's suffrage victories were achieved in the Russian Empire, in Finland and Russia, as a result of wars and revolutions. Their significance has been largely ignored, yet study of these achievements challenges the standard paradigms about the conditions (struggle within a democracy, geographic location on the 'periphery'), which favoured early suffrage breakthroughs. This article analyses the particular circumstances in Finland and Russia, which, in a relatively short amount of time, broke down resistance to giving women the vote. An examination of the events surrounding the February 1917 Russian Revolution, which toppled the Tsar, demonstrates the significant role of women in initiating and furthering the revolutionary momentum as well as fighting for their own rights. Both the Finns and the Russians pioneered in extending the legacies of the French and American Revolutions to include women.

Keywords: FEMINISM; FINLAND; RUSSIA; REVOLUTION; WOMEN'S RIGHTS; WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE

DOI: 10.3167/asp.2007.010102

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