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Laurie Stoff
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They Fought for the Motherland: Russia's Women Soldiers in World War I and the Revolution (Modern War Studies) Hardcover – November 15, 2006

by Laurie S. Stoff (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 17 ratings
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Women have participated in war throughout history, but their experience in Russia during the First World War was truly exceptional. Between the war's beginning and the October Revolution of 1917, approximately 6,000 women answered their country's call as the army was faced with insubordination and desertion in the ranks while the provisional government prepared for a new offensive. These courageous women became media stars throughout Europe and America, but were brushed aside by Soviet chroniclers and until now have been largely neglected by history.

Laurie Stoff draws on deep archival research into previously unplumbed material, including many first-person accounts, to examine the roots, motivations, and legacy of these women. She reveals that Russia was the only nation in World War I that systematically employed women in the military, marking the first time that a government run by men had organized women for combat. And although they were originally envisioned as propaganda-promoting patriotism and citizenship to inspire the thousands of males who had been deserting or refusing to fight—Russian women also proved themselves more than capable in combat.

Describing the formation, provisioning, and training of the units, Stoff sheds light on their social and educational backgrounds, while recounting a number of amazing individual stories. She tells how Maria Bochkareva, commander of the First Russian Women's Battalion of Death, and her unit met its baptism of fire in combat and how Bochkareva later traveled to the U.S. and met President Wilson. Within these pages, we also meet Maria Bocharnikova, who served with the First Petrograd Women's Battalion that defended the Winter Palace during the Bolshevik Revolution and whose detailed account of her experience dispels much of the misinformation concerning that storied event.

Stoff also chronicles the exploits of the Second Moscow Women's Battalion of Death, Third Kuban Women's Shock Battalion, and the First Women's Naval Detachment, all within the context of Russian society, the Revolution, and the war itself. Enhancing and informing this presentation are more than two dozen historic photos.

Stoff's remarkable account rescues from oblivion an important but still little-known aspect of Russia's experience in World War I. It also provides new insights into gender roles during a pivotal period of Russia's development and, more broadly speaking, resonates with the current debates over the role of women in warfare.
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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University Press of Kansas
  4. Publication date
    November 15, 2006
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0700614850
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0700614851
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Stoff has opened another window into a deeper understanding of World War One’s Eastern Front through a detailed depiction of Russian women’s involvement in combat."—Roads to the Great War

"The first comprehensive study of the first systematic mobilization of women for war by a modern government."—SEER

"Stoff has conducted] meticulous and wide-ranging research and makes excellent use of women soldiers’ memoirs and reports about their motivations and experiences. . . . An excellent book and a useful resource for those interested in the First World War, the revolutionary period, and women’s history. It provides a gripping and detailed account of women’s involvement in the war and the reactions to it."—Revolutionary Russia

"Drawing extensively on the relevant archives, her work provides an important gendered dimension to understandings of the Revolution’s impact on the Russian military."—Journal of Slavic Military Studies

"Stoff tells the story of Russian women soldiers’ path-breaking participation in World War I. Although women have long taken up arms, usually individually and disguised as men, the Russian experience was unique in the number who enlisted as women (over 6,000 according to Stoff); official support, however ambivalent; the creation of all female units; and the women soldier's high public profile. The book [is] engagingly written and very well illustrated . . . This first full-length scholarly study of the subject should be of considerable interest to historians of women in Russia and in war and is a significant addition to the literature on Russia and World War I."—Slavic Review

“An outstanding and gracefully written contribution to women’s military studies and to the military history of World War I.”—Linda Grant DePauw, author of Battle Cries and Lullabies: Women in War from Prehistory to the Present

“An important book that pulls together scattered fragments of an epic story long understudied and often misunderstood.”—Richard Stites, author of The Women’s Liberation Movement in Russia

“An engrossing read that will appeal to anyone interested in military history, Russian history, or the experience of women in war.”—Reina Pennington, author of Wings, Women, and War: Soviet Airwomen in World War II Combat

From the Back Cover

"An outstanding and gracefully written contribution to women's military studies and to the military history of World War I."--Linda Grant DePauw, author of Battle Cries and Lullabies: Women in War from Prehistory to the Present

"An important book that pulls together scattered fragments of an epic story long understudied and often misunderstood."--Richard Stites, author of The Women's Liberation Movement in Russia

"An engrossing read that will appeal to anyone interested in military history, Russian history, or the experience of women in war."--Reina Pennington, author of Wings, Women, and War: Soviet Airwomen in World War II Combat

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University Press of Kansas; Book Club Edition (November 15, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0700614850
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0700614851
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

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Laurie Stoff

Laurie Stoff

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
17 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Darci Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Experience
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2022
Verified Purchase
Carefully packaged and book is in excellent condition. Thanks!
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Christian Potholm
5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Addition
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2021
Although women fought in World War I in Russia under the Czar, the huge impetus for women in combat came under the Provisional Government from February to October 1917 when that government created separate all female military units. See especially the chapter, “Russia’s First All-Female Combat Unit.” As many as 6000 women were involved. Most famous was Maria Bochkareva who was in the 1st Russian Women’s Battalion of Death. Called “The Russian Joan of Arc,” she fought for the Provisional Government and was wounded numerous times, eventually being captured by the Bolsheviks and made it to the U.S. by way of Siberia, only to return to try to fight for the Whites under Kolchak. This time she was captured and shot when Kolchak pulled out of Tomsk. All told, 80,000 women fought for Russia in World War I and the Revolution. The Bolsheviks kept women in the army but broke up the sexually segregated units and integrated them into their majority male units. This work is a very valuable contribution to our knowledge of women at war.
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Neal A. Wellons
4.0 out of 5 stars Very detailed reference
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2010
Verified Purchase
This book was chock-full of information about Russian women in WWI. I think it is a good reference book, with more than you ever expected about a little-known aspect of Russia's involvement in WWI (and afterward.)

I disagree about it being a real page-turner unless that is meant skimming topic sentences of each paragraph as you plow through page after page of minute details. I think there is a great 50 page book buried in the almost 300 pages. I obviously was looking for an interesting overview rather than a somewhat scholarly reference book. Still, it will stay on my Russian bookshelf as a resource.
2 people found this helpful
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TruthSeeker
5.0 out of 5 stars This could be the definitive work on the subject.
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2009
Professor Stoff has turned her exhaustive research on a tiny subject into a large, immensely readable story. After reading this book you will likely want to expand your knowledge of Russia and World War I.
If you are looking for a blood and gunfire war story, this is not your book. The women in the story did not make it to the front lines as much as they would have liked, but when they did they performed admirably. Their story, along with concise thumbnail biographies of each known character, makes for a real page-turner. Included are the behind the scenes struggle to be allowed to take up arms in the first place. Sometimes the women were more threatened by fellow male soldiers than by the enemy in the opposing armies.
The author has included exhaustive notes, bibliography, photos, and index for scholars interested in early 20th Century feminism, 1917 Russian politics, and World War I.
This book also contains corrections to earlier research by other authors that insures this work will withstand the test of proofreading. This book is definitely a keeper in my library.
The author is presently working on another book on World War I Russian women, and I look forward to reading it as soon as it is available.
3 people found this helpful
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Kate
5.0 out of 5 stars High Recommended
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2008
Stoff has written an excellent work on a group of women in Russia who
played an important role during a turbulent time in the country's
history. Long forgotten, this work brings these women to life through
a combination of meticulous archival research and superb writing.
A welcome contribution to the field of research on Russian military
women.
5 people found this helpful
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JHE
4.0 out of 5 stars Good account
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2013
Verified Purchase
Informative...fills in many blanks in popular history. Exposes a side of the conflict seldom covered by writers about this period.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Tadeáš Kratochvíl
5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative book, not much pictures tho
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
The book is very good. Not much pictures tho...
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Tadeáš Kratochvíl
5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative book, not much pictures tho
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 24, 2021
The book is very good. Not much pictures tho...
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