Authors

Lynne Hartnett¹;  ¹ Villanova University, United States

Discussion

In the aftermath of the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881, his heir used the full power of the state to suppress the revolutionary movement in the Russian Empire.  As prisons and exile settlements filled with young Russians, many political radicals chose to flee the country and settle in cities throughout Europe and even the United States. Although the number of Russian political exiles living in Britain during these decades was smaller than its counterpart in Switzerland or France, the public nature of their activities brought them outsized influence. Political activism blended with literary, humanitarian, and cultural projects, especially in and around London. 

These various endeavors provided a unique opportunity for women. Both British and Russian activist women assumed a public role in a transnational campaign against the despotism of the Romanovs. The names of Russian revolutionary émigrés like Peter Kropotkin, Sergei Kravchinskii, and of course Vladimir Lenin are well known.  But scant attention has been paid to the women, both Russian and British, who devoted their time, resources, and voices to the cause.  This paper will explore the activities of several of these women who found opportunities for self-expression and occasion for political activism in the campaign against Russian despotism in late 19th and early 20th century Britain, in an effort towards pulling them from the shadows of history.