Alexandra Kollontai

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/alexandra-kollontai

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Alexandra Kollontai born?March 31, 1872
2. Where was Alexandra Kollontai born?Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
3. What is Alexandra Kollontai known for?Co-founder of Zhenotdel, People's Commissar for Welfare (1917-1918), ambassador to Sweden (1943-1945)
4. What is the career trajectory?Revolutionary activist, political theorist, government minister, and diplomat
5. Who was Alexandra Kollontai?Alexandra Kollontai was a Russian revolutionary and feminist. She helped lead the Russian Revolution and became the first woman in the world to serve as a cabinet minister. She also worked as a diplomat for her country.
6. What did she do to help women?She helped start Zhenotdel, a department that worked to improve women's education, health, and jobs. She wrote books about how women could be free and equal. She also talked about sharing childcare so women could join the workforce.

Marxist Feminism: An analytical framework that applies Marxist theory to understand and critique gender inequality, viewing it as intrinsically linked to capitalist economic structures and class oppression.
People's Commissar: The title for a minister in the Soviet government during the early period of Soviet history, equivalent to a cabinet minister in other countries.