"The More You Beat Your Wife, the Tastier the Soup": Domestic Violence in Revolutionary Russia, 1900-1936 (Research Brief)

Domestic violence is a serious problem in contemporary Russia, but it is not a new phenomenon. My research deals with the nature of domestic violence and its relationship to alimony, divorce, family, and proper behavior in revolutionary Russia, 1900-1936. I question how the Soviet state's efforts to create a new Soviet Man and Woman played out in interpersonal relations, how the violence of the period may have affected interpersonal relations, and how domestic violence shaped efforts to alter the nature of family relationships and responsibilities to fit with the new socialist vision of the family. This project examines the ways that violence shapes interpersonal relationships and provides a historical context for dealing with current problems.

Download the pdf at the top of this page for the full brief.

Sharon A. Kowalsky, of Texas A&M University-Commerce, was a 2010-11 Short-Term Travel Grants (STG) fellow.