Marxist Socialism
  Also known as Marxism, Scientific Socialism
  Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto (1848)
 
                          Major Ideas:
  Materialism
  Economic Determinism
  Class Struggle (bourgeoisie, proletariat)
  Communism inevitable through revolution

                          Marxism and
                      “the Woman Question”
  Paid labor most important
  Housewives are “parasites”
  Paid labor would liberate women
  Private sphere problems?  Solved by the Revolution.

                “Freed Woman, Build Socialism!”

                     Women in the Movement
  Rare as leaders
  Lots of sexism, despite radical nature of movement
  Men welcome women when they are needed (membership!!)

                      Socialist Women and
                            Feminism
  Germany, 1850-1908 female political activity outlawed
  Large numbers of women in socialist movement
  Why?
 
  Example set by Russian women
  August Bebel’s Women Under Socialism (1879)
  Trade union movement

                  Attitudes toward feminists:
                           Two views
 ONE:
  - feminism is
 a bourgeois movement
 TWO 
  - can try to mix
 socialism and feminism
 somehow

                    Clara Zetkin (1857-1933)
  Wanted to mix socialism and women’s rights
  1890s Women’s Bureau
  Edited Equality
  BUT – true allies should be working men, not bourgeois women
 
  1907 Socialist Women’s International:  could work for women’s suffrage
  But Zetkin dismissed many other feminist issues
 
                   Russia, mid-19th century
                            to 1917
  Autocracy, few people had any rights
  Late 19th century, 100s of women “go to the people”
  Sophia Perovskaya hanged in 1881 for trying to assassinate tsar
 
  Such women don’t discuss women’s rights
  Very little liberalism in Russia
  Even less feminism
  1905 short-lived revolution
  Two revolutions in 1917:  liberal & communist
 
                      Alexandra Kollontai
  Wealthy background
  Studied in Zurich, worked with Zetkin
 
           Social Bases of the Woman Question (1908)
  Economic equality and sexual freedom
  Socialization of the private sphere
 --------------------------------------------------------
  1917 returns to USSR
  Only female Commissar (Social Welfare)
  1920-22 heads Zhenotdel (Women’s Organization)
 
         Decree on Marriage and other Laws, 1917-18
  Marriage civil, not religious
  Divorce easy to obtain
  1918 maternity hospital care free
  No “illegitimate” children
  1920 abortion legalized
  Tried to socialize housework

                       Sexual Revolution?
  Ultimately failed
  Why?
 
  In the end, USSR equal rights in theory but little changes
  Backlash 1930s-1950s