Kristen Ghodsee, a professor of Russian and East European Studies, dives into the life of revolutionary Alexandra Kollontai. They explore Kollontai’s evolution from Russian nobility to a key figure in Marxist feminism and her role in the October Revolution. The conversation highlights her complex relationship with Stalin and critiques of traditional family structures, advocating for new forms of love in socialist contexts. Ghodsee also touches on Kollontai's lasting impact on feminism and the need for modern movements to draw inspiration from her legacy.
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insights INSIGHT
Kollontai's Revolutionary Role
Alexandra Kollontai was a revolutionary Marxist feminist from Russian nobility who radically transformed women's role in society and the revolution.
Though overlooked in Western feminist circles, she was central to Marxism, feminism, and proletarian liberation internationally.
insights INSIGHT
Self-Education and Influences
Kollontai largely self-educated in Marxism and socialism, fluent in many languages and influenced by key socialists like August Bebel and Rosa Luxemburg.
She bridged Menshevism and Bolshevism, adapting through debate, exile, and activism in Europe and Russia.
insights INSIGHT
Kollontai and Lenin's Relationship
Kollontai initially opposed Lenin’s call for revolutionary violence due to pacifism but ultimately became his key Bolshevik supporter.
She was integral in mobilizing women and voted for the October Revolution, becoming commissar of social welfare.
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Make Way for Winged Eros: A Letter to Working Youth
Make Way for Winged Eros: A Letter to Working Youth
Alexandra Kollontai
Society and Motherhood
Society and Motherhood
Alexandra Kollontai
Why Women Had Better Sex Under Socialism and Other Arguments for Economic Independence
Kristen Ghodsee
Woman in Socialism
Woman in Socialism
August Bebel
My disillusionment in Russia
Emma Goldman
Comrade
Comrade
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Jodi Dean
Ten Days That Shook the World
John Reed
This book is an impassioned and detailed eyewitness account of the Russian Revolution. Written in the immediate aftermath of the events, it captures the spirit of the revolution through verbatim reports of speeches by leaders and comments from bystanders. Reed's account follows the fall of the provisional government, the assault on the Winter Palace, and Lenin's seizure of power, set against an idealized backdrop of soldiers, sailors, peasants, and the proletariat uniting to overthrow oppression.
The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State
Ernest Untermann
Friedrich Engels
In this work, Friedrich Engels delves into the interplay between familial structures, economic systems, and state formation. He argues that the oppression of women and the emergence of class society are historically linked to the production of a surplus and the division of society into classes. The book also discusses how the state arose as a tool to defend the ruling class. Engels bases his analysis on the research of anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan and uses the method of historical materialism to explain these societal developments.
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Jun 18, 2021
Kristen R. Ghodsee returns to the show, this time to discuss the life, work, and legacy of the famous Marxist Feminist Alexandra Kollontai. We discuss her life, her radicalization, her relationship with other famous revolutionaries, her role in the October Revolution, her enduring contributions to feminism, Marxism, and proletarian history, and much, much more.
Rev Left Radio 
