An examination of women's roles in politics and society in the contemporary Russian Federation as it creates a new market economy and democratic course born of a millennium of history and nearly 75 years of authoritarian communist rule.

The stage is set in the introduction followed by an examination of the history of the Bolshevik socialist state in 1917 through the participation of women in recent multiparty elections in 1993. The tsarist and Communist gender culture is presented, and the book then considers why and how, the Soviet Union disintegrated. Next the editors explore the reborn Russia of President Boris Yeltsin and women's rights under Soviet and post-Soviet rule. The book is enriched by statistical tables and glossaries of the names of leaders and terms for easy identification.

A comprehensive resource profiling individuals and organizations associated with Russian women's movements from the early 19th century to the post-Soviet era. Contributions by approximately fifty authors from the United States, Russia, Europe, and Canada focus upon the struggle of women to change their society and advance their gender interests. Women activists pursued improvement in educational opportunities, fought for suffrage, established journals, and sought to transform women's consciousness and establish women's studies programs and women's crises centers. They were a strong voice against the tsarist regime and the oppression of communism. Their objectives were as diverse as their strategies, which ranged from incremental reform, to terrorism, to the establishment of women's electoral organizations.

This volume contains a comprehensive glossary of term and phrases and a chronology to help put events and developments into historical context. Entries are fully cross-referenced and are followed by suggested readings. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of Russian history and politics, women's history and gender studies.