Nadezhda Krupskaya and the New View of Radical Society in Russia

The Russian Revolution is typically studied from a perspective of power and authority. The shadow of Communism tends to portray the revolutionary character of 1917 as an ominous path toward totalitarianism. While the revolutionary story has been overshadowed by the authoritarianism of Stalinist regimes, the Revolution has much more complex underpinnings that tie back to the nineteenth century Russian populist movement and the women who were drawn into it. Nadezhda Krupskaya and the New View of Radical Society in Russia reexamines the fundamental ideas and moments that led to the revolution and its eventual bureaucratization from the perspective of Nadezhda Krupskaya, Vladimir Lenin’s wife. Her involvement provides a new perspective in how we should consider the role of culture as opposed to ideology, particularly the subordination of Communism, as well as the women in Soviet politics. M.A. Iasilli provides a nuanced view of the Russian Revolution that demonstrates a Bolshevik legacy and connection with their populist ancestors, the Narodniks, and argues that the revolution wasn’t merely Marxist fanaticism but something much deeper and emotional.

M.A. Iasilli, Ph.D., is political scientist and Russian Historian with specialization in revolution and state formation.