Russian fascist women's movement
The Russian Fascist Women's Movement ( Russian Российское Женское Фашистское Движение ; Rossijskoye Shenskoye Fascistskoye Dwischenije ) was a fascist women's movement and a direct offshoot of the Russian Fascist Party (RFP). It was brought into being in Manchukuo in the 1930s by the mother party in order to expand the influence and sphere of influence of the ideology to other parts of the population. The movement followed the same ideals as its male counterpart and acted according to the principles of “God, Fatherland and Work”.
prehistory
After the October Revolution in 1917 and the civil war that followed, millions of Russians went into exile in Europe, China and Manchukuo as well as on the American continent. Since their goal from the beginning was to return to their homeland, the contacts there remained and the political and intellectual center of life continued to be Russia . Estimates assume that around 80% of the emigrants were so-called "whites", who were close to the tsarist regime and wished for a return to the old order. After a few years in exile, new tendencies gradually emerged and many of the politically active emigrants began to reconsider their views under the new conditions. These included some groups of emigrants who were inspired by the fascist movements and their rise in Europe and who created their own variants, especially Russian fascist parties.
The largest and best organized of these was Konstantin Rodzayevski's Russian Fascist Party in Manchukuo. The ideological basis of the party program of the RFP was based on classical Italian fascism and was adapted to the Russian conditions of the time. Communism was to give way to a national workers' state and the population was to be organized in national units of workers, peasants and professionals. During the Japanese annexation of Manchukuo in 1931–1932, completely new opportunities opened up for the RFP. Such a Japanese-Russian cooperation not only brought new financial prospects, but also secured the supposed participation in a possible war against the Soviet Union. Rodsajewski then forced all his strength to take full advantage of the new opportunities. The creation and distribution of propaganda material was now a top priority. Efforts were made to win new members and sympathizers across national borders for the movement. After all, the slogans and other propaganda tools did not bring the desired upswing either and other alternatives had to be found.
Emergence
In order to still be able to achieve the hoped-for goals, various offshoots of the RFP were brought into being in 1932. The purpose of these organizations, which are directly subordinate to the RFP, was to bring the political ideology closer to other parts of the population and in particular to women and to harness them for their concerns.
That is why the Russian Fascist Women's Movement was founded. The political convictions on which the movement was based corresponded to that of the parent party and also consisted of the three principles "God, fatherland and work". The aim of the movement was to unite like-minded Russian women in order to jointly achieve the goal of a Russia of national work. The Russian fascist women's movement existed as an independent offshoot of the Russian Fascist Party. The political program was defined by the leadership of the women's movement, but had to be approved by the chairman of the parent party. The leadership of the women's movement, which was directly subordinate to the RFP leader, was determined at the congresses of the RFP. Like their male colleagues, members of the Russian Fascist Women's Movement also wore uniforms. It consisted of a white blouse covered by a black coat with a swastika sewn onto the left sleeve .
organization
It consisted of a chairwoman and a deputy who also acted as general secretary of the movement. From 1932 to mid-1938 Scheina Rumjanzewa was the head of the branch. She was followed by Nina Ochotina , who held this position until the end of the movement in 1945. In addition, there was a person responsible for financial matters and a head of the propaganda and training department.
The local offshoots of the women's movement were made up of a wide variety of groups. In addition to fascist sympathizers, there were potential candidates as well as active party members. These widely dispersed organizations were considered to be important centers for the ideological persuasion and dissemination of fascist ideas.
literature
- John J. Stephan: The Russian Fascists: Tragedy and Farce in Exile, 1925–1945. Harper Row, 1978, ISBN 0-241-10033-X .
- Stephen D. Shenfield: Russian Fascism: Traditions, Tendencies, Movements. New York 2001, ISBN 0-7656-0634-8 .
- E. Oberländer: The All-Russian Fascist Party . In: Journal of Contemporary History , Volume 1, No. 1, 1966, pp. 158-173.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Stephen D. Shenfield: Russian Fascism: Traditions, Tendencies, Movements . New York 2001, ISBN 0-241-10033-X , pp. 232 .