Sofia Petrovna Analysis

In the book Sofia Petrovna, the author Lydia Chukovskaya writes about Sofia Petrovna and her dreadful experiences as a widowed mother during the Russian Stalinist Terror of the 1930s. There were four basic results of the Russian Stalinist Terror: first, it was a way of keeping people in order; second, it kept Stalin in power and stopped revolutions from forming, made people work harder to increase the output of the economy, and separated families as well as caused deaths of many innocent people due to false charges.

Ukrainian, Elena Grigorievna Ponomarenko and Russian Vera Ivanovna Malakhova shared one inevitable thing in common and that was the USSR, formally known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. This spread of communism would take a place in these women’s lives affecting their ideology. Elena allowed communism to be the foundation of her life, while Vera used to advance in the education system and become a physician. Despite the views these women had on communism, communism helped both Elena and Vera achieve their social status as well as privileges.

While family structure in the Soviet Union did change significantly during the first two decades of Communist government following the social revolution, there were also many ways in which it did not change, and some ways in which there was a return to traditional family structure during this time. Although there were changes to marriage and divorce laws, the role of women in the workplace, and the social ideas of male and female roles, inequality was still a significant issue. The attempts to create a new model of family life throughout the 1920s and 1930s, without traditional boundaries but with respect for individual rights, was unsuccessful in many ways, as women were still viewed as responsible for household duties and for raising children while men had much more sexual freedom than women. The early 1920s and the revolutionary concepts and laws which it introduced resulted in social disorder, with marriage breakdown, homelessness and poverty leading to a backlash against the changes in gender roles. Rather than blaming the lack of social services, many claimed that women needed to return to traditional roles and supply stability to the family, rather than considering the nation’s economic situation and the lack of social services as being the central issue.

The guards were occasionally drunk and rude to everyone. The family was only told very limited information from people outside. The whole family was starting to see what was going to happen to them. They all begun to worry and feared that their life was going to end. On the night of July 16th and 17th the family were summoned to a half-basement room on the ground floor of the house.("Biographies of Anastasia Romanova Royalty") A commanding guard, Jakob Yurovsky, told the family a statement to the family, telling them that they were about to be killed. Now they all feared for their life more than they have ever

It can be argued that Leon Trotsky’s naïve personality is what failed him in the attempt to achieve power, but through his intelligence and sturdy leadership, he shaped the Russian and International history to the way it is today. Through his main roles as ‘Commissar for Foreign Affairs’, ‘Commissar for War’ and the political position in the Politburo, Trotsky impacted society by his efforts in control and fight for power, and his aim to spread his communist ideals of ‘comintern’ (Communist

how the war changed how women were perceived in Russian society and also the challenges

Kovalskaia is the only one of the five sisters to have been born a peasant. From the very beginning, not only was Kovalskaia exposed to the life of peasantry, but also she lived in it. “From my earliest years, life seemed incomprehensible and cruel to me. I think I was barely six when I became aware that there were landowners and peasant serfs in the world; that landowners could sell people, and that my father could separate my mother and me by selling her to one neighboring landowner and me to another.”5 She eventually escaped the title of “serf” when she asked her father for her freedom for her and her mother at age seven. As Kovalskaia grew up she was influenced by a majority of people. She would hear stories from milkmaids that would terrify her, “‘You’ll grow up someday, too—and then they’ll sell you.’ I was tormented by nightmares: I dreamt that they were selling me.”6 Many people she interacted with spoke unkindly of the tsar and of the fates of those who tried to oppose him. All of these events left such an impression of Kovalskaia that eventually led her to become a feminist. After being enrolled in schools fit for the daughter of a wealthy landowner, Kovalskaia used the estate that her father had left her to organize women’s groups in which Kovalskaia gave free courses for women seeking higher education. One group led to another and eventually Kovalskaia worked in a group devoted to women workers and taught bits of socialism. These groups were eventually ordered to discontinue. Kovalskaia moved to Zurich where she was really exposed to revolutionary ideas and aligned herself with Bakuninism. Here she really took an interest in educating the factory workers and spreading

Most historians agree that throughout his political career Trotsky displayed various talents and abilities. However, these skills alone were not enough to enable him to become the supreme leader of the USSR. In the context of the workings of the Bolshevik party to rise to the highest office of the politburo required certain traits and qualities as well as an ability to utilise the party machine and exploit its members-talents, traits and qualities Trotsky clearly lacked. For these reasons the statement is highly accurate because in spite of his ability, Trotsky’s failure to rise to the ‘highest office in the land’ was a consequence of his arrogance, political naivety and inability to turn success into political capital.

The soviets lives their lives in a way that was purely beneficially to the state, they did not question the government, stray from their spouses, created a good family environment, and were selfless. However, when it came to divorce cases, “…decisions were based on an assumption of the uncontrollability of love and the fragility of marriage.” (Suny 390) This, along with plaintiffs and defendants revealing “a determined pursuit of personal, rather than social, goals.” (Suny 390), effected Khrushchev’s goals for societal change, were people care primarily for the state, and are “untroubled by family problems, conflicting emotions, and illicit desires.” (Suny 390) Philosophers thought that they could change people and control their personal lives, but with most judges ignoring the morality, and others doing the same- there was not the structure that Khrushchev needed to reach his

In this society the government achieves stability by putting people in different classes with a vision in mind for each class. There are five classes in the World State, Alphas being the smartest and best looking, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons being the dumbest and ugliest of the classes. The Alphas and Betas socialize with each other and the rest of the classes basically serve them, “those nasty little Gammas and Deltas and Epsilons down there” (Huxley 76). Lenina does not

Long ago in a land far away there lived there lived a princess. This princess was no ordinary princess. Katerina Petrova had been hidden away for 16 years. Before she born her parents encountered an evil spirit that lived inside of a fire breathing dragon. The dragon ultimately forced her mother to ingest a deadly flower after a long battle with the king. She was on her deathbed but the princess wasn't born yet. Right before her mother's last hour she was successfully born. The princess of the land was saved by a good spirit who promised to always protect her. In order to do so the king had to release Katrina into the custody of the good spirit who disguised herself as a mother figure. She forced Katrina to live in a castle far far away and

The book discussed this idea further. Characters like Richard and Little Loewy represent this—when they expressed any doubt or anything that was not in line with the party, they were eliminated for the good of the party. The book also mentioned a conversation between Rubashov and Professor Kieffer in which the two joked about and critiqued aspects of the Party—previously, this would not necessarily put doubt on whether they were loyal to the party (206). However, under Stalin and the new guard, there would be no room for criticism or doubt. This comparison of old and new was very important throughout the novel and during the period of the purges and show

In the beginning, Ivan Sanchin was very fond about Stalin. Sanchin was very happy and proud upon finding out that he is appointed to the Kremlin as a private projectionist for Stalin. Sanchin loves Stalin more than his wife, Anastacia, as if Stalin were God. Stalin’s terror affected Sanchin’s relationship with Anastacia as she wanted to adopt Katya, but Katya is a Jew. Sanchin disapprove Anastacia’s decision and stated that Katya is the enemy of the people. Sanchin’s action shows his lack of caring toward the feelings of Anastacia, but Anastacia was happy for Sanchin and still loves him dearly. Going against Sanchin’s will, Anastacia visits Katya at the state orphanage. The separation between Katya’s biological parents and Anastacia affected her growth as she lacks security and protection from her loved ones.

In other literatures of the day, Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte, Tatyana would chosen desire and would have faced disgrace, affair, abandonment, elopement, and/or suicide. But because she is dutiful and eternally silences her love, Tatyana embodies the moral woman of Russia. Liubov faced similar situation. Liubov was also pressured to be placed with a suitor. Not to dishonor her father’s and brother’s opinion, Liubov agreed to the marriage though after she fought directly on the proposal privately and publicly. For a woman, Belinsky declared, “marriage is the only reasonable way to experience life and the only reality. Marriage for her is emancipation, the beginning of her individuality.” Engelstein would disagree with Belinsky assessment of marriage. Weighing on Chekhov’s view on adultery, Engelstein agrees that “not the power of desire that destroys human life and happiness, but the weight of conventional norms and patriarchal relations.” But does this make Russia backwards? No, since Russia had different values. Western Europe and American literature stress desire and fulfillment of happiness, whereas Russia stresses duty and patriarchal obligation. Tatyana though unhappy is successful in status. She does not have to worry finances. She engaged in the circle of vibrant culture figures: authors, poets, and

Nina Petrova was born in Basmanny Russia in 1997. Daughter of Orlov and Anna Petrova, young reckless revolutionary insurgents, she grew unloved and uncared for. She lived her first years surrounded by the most inadequate environment, always traveling from here to there with both her parents too involved in a coup d'etat, always seeking new ways to attack the government of Russia. Her parents never allowed her to go to school since they despised Russia’s educational system like proper anarchists. Also given that education in Russia is outdated they didn’t see any reason to enroll her in school. They no longer took in mind their daughter’s well being but instead only considered what was best for the revolution they were planning. At the time