Background
KOLLONTAY, Alcksandra was born on March 31, 1872 in Saint St. Petersburg. Daughter of General Domontovich.
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Alcksandra Mikhaylovna KOLLONTAY
Edit ProfileEducation
From 1898 studied soci sci and economics at Zurich University.
Career
In 1890’s joined revol movement. 1903-1906 affiliated to no party but worked for Bolsheviks. 1906 joined Mensheviks and attended International Conference of Women Workers at Mannheim.
Member, International Bureau of Women Socialists. 1907 member, Russian Social-Democratic Workers’ Party deleg at International Socialist Congress in Stuttgart. Late 1908 emigrated to escape police persecution.
Worked for Socialist Parties of Germany, Britain, France and Scandinavian countries as agitator and publicist. 1909-1910 worked for Viennese Pravda and for central organ of Social-Democratic Party. Lectured at "Forward” second Party school in Bologna.
1910 attended Copenhagen Congress. 1912 attended Basel Congress. Contributed to Pravda: 1913 worked in Britain.
Permanent correspondent for International Bureau of Women Party Workers. 1914, at start of World War 1, worked in Switzerland and took revol-iniernationalist stand, leading to her expulsion from Switzerland in December 1914. Worked for Paris publ Golos and Nashe slovo, internationalist organs.
1915-1917 in Denmark and Norway in close contact with Lenin. Sided with Bolsheviks, conducted anti-war agitation and Bolshevik propagenda among leftist-internationalist Social-Democrats of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and America. Contributed to journal "Kommunist".
1915 commissioned by Lenin to write pamphlet "Who Needs the War” for Russian soldiers and prisoners-of-war. 1915 -16 twice visited America at invitation of German faction of American Social-Dcmocratic Party to press ’’Zimmerwald leftist policy” among Social-Democrats. March 1917 returned to Russia and became member of Executive Committee, Pctrograd Soviet of Deputy on behalf of the Bolshevik Military Organization(s), for which she agitated among the seamen of the Baltic Fleet and among Petrograd soldiers.
Member, editorial board, Bolshevik journal Rabotnitsa. 1917 attended Russian Social-Democratic Workers ’Party (Bolsheviks) April Conference. June 1917 attended Conference of Zimmerwald Leftists in Stockholm.
August 1917 arrested by Provisional Government together with other Bolshevik leaders but was soon released. August 1917 at 6th Russian Social-Democratic Workers ’Party (Bolsheviks) Congress elected member, Central Committee and head, Bureau for Work Among Women. October 1917 attended 2nd Congress of Soviets and elected to Congress Presidium.
People's Commissar of State Poor Relief in first Council of People's Commissar, but resigned as Lei list Communist in connection with the Brest Peace Treaty controversy. 1918 staged 1st Congress of Women Workers and Peasants. 1919 sent to Ukraine and worked at the front, in the Donbass, Khar’kov and Crimea.
Then appointed People's Commissar of Propaganda and Agitation in the Crimean Republic, then in Ukraine. 1920 head, Women's Department, Central Committee Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks). Member, All-Russian Ccntr Executive Committee.
1921-1922 secretary, International Women's Secretariat of Communist International. November 1920 and March 1921, during the trade-union controversy, one of the leaders of the "workers’ opposition”, but broke with this group after the 11th Party Congress. Delegation, 7th, 8th and 10th Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) Congresses.
From 1922 on dipl work. Fall 1922 counsellor, Soviet mission in Norway. May 1923-1926 Soviet plenipotentiary in Norway.
1926 Soviet plenipotentiary and trade representative in Mexico. 1927 again Soviet plenipotentiary in Norway. 1930-1945 Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics envoy, then ambassador in Sweden.
1935-1938 member, Soviet deleg at League of Nations, Geneva. 1945-1952 counsellor, Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the rank of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. As Soviet plenipotentiary in Norway negotiated de jure recognition of Soviet government.
15 February 1924 signed act establishing dipl relations between Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics and Norway. Spring 1926 signed trade agreement with Norway stipulating position and extraterritorial status of Soviet trade mission. During World War 2, as Soviet ambassador in Sweden, negotiated armistice with Finland.
Also negotiated and signed various trade agreements with Norway, Sweden and Finland. Wrote numerous works on women's movement, also articles and pamphlets on sexual problems. Wrote lit works under the name of Domontovich.
Religion
Religion in its origin doesn't give equal treatment to women and thus offends basic human rights.
Views
Communist Party of the Soviet Union is the guiding force of all socialist countries, and the nucleus of their political system.
Membership
Communist Party member from 1915.
