The impact of Stalinism on women

Under Lenin, women were given greater rights

• Soviet propaganda had extolled the new 'liberation' of women; sex discrimination was outlawed and divorce and abortions made easier
• The family was regarded as a relic of bourgeois society and women took jobs alongside men

For a number of reasons, Stalin reverted to more traditional policies

• In the 1930s, a fall in population growth, combined with family break-ups and fear of war led Stalin to revert to more traditional policies
• This 'Great Retreat' was a conscious rejection of the social experiments of the post-revolutionary period

The 'Great Retreat had an impact on marriage, family…