Christine Johanson Women's Struggle for Higher Education in Russia, 1855-1900

Annotation

Unlike contemporary Soviet and Western accounts which emphasize the involvement of educated women in the revolutionary movement, Christine Johanson investigates the relationship between developments in women's education and domestic politics of the post-Crimean War era. The author shows how the particular nature of autocratic rule under Alexander II facilitated the establishment of university-level courses for women, and demonstrates that Russian women who cooperated with the government in order to increase their educational opportunities far outnumbered the female revolutionists who sought to overthrow it. And, while acknowledging that Russian radicalism gave enormous encouragement to women's pursuit of university study, this book shows that it was the support of progressive statesmen and academics which allowed the creation of higher educational facilities for women.