Kollontai

Alexandra Fyodorovna Kollontai (1872–1952), also spelled Kollontay, was a Russian revolutionary, feminist thinker, and early Soviet diplomat. A prominent figure in the Bolshevik movement after the 1917 revolution, she became one of the best-known advocates of Marxist feminism and a leader of the Soviet women’s movement.

Born in Saint Petersburg into a noble family, Kollontai embraced socialist ideas in the late 19th century and joined the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, aligning with the Bolshevik wing after the revolution. She became a leading organizer of the Zhenotdel, the women’s department of the Communist Party, founded to mobilize women for social and political participation and to press for reforms in family law, education, and labor rights.

In the wake of the revolution, Kollontai held government roles focused on social policy. She served as People’s Commissar for Social Welfare and used her position to advance state-supported measures for women, children, and the poor. Later, she pursued diplomatic work, becoming one of the early Soviet ambassadors, with postings in Norway and Mexico, making her one of the first women to hold such high-profile diplomatic posts.

Kollontai was a prolific writer and publicist, contributing to discussions on family, sexuality, and the role of women within a socialist society. Her life reflects the attempt to integrate feminist goals with revolutionary politics, and she remains a notable, if controversial, figure in the history of 20th-century feminism and Soviet diplomacy.