‘The Women’s Communist Movement in the National Regions of the U.S.S.R.’ by Risel from International Press Correspondence. Vol. 12 No. 20. May 5, 1932.

The year 1931 was a decisive year, above all in the field of agriculture, for the republic of Central Asia, Transcaucasus, North Caucasus, Kasakstan, the Bashkir and Tartar Republics and other eastern national regions. The majority of peasant farms in these regions, which are the most backward regions in the Soviet Union, have been drawn into the collective farms.

A special victory for the countries of the Soviet East is the unprecedented tremendous growth of the industrial and political activity of the women workers and masses of women on the collective farms. In economic and political campaigns which have been carried out the women have worked heroically and on a number of occasions have shown a high degree of political consciousness (struggle against the Kulaks and the bandits), and have overcome their illiteracy to the extent of 80-90% in a number of regions (The Kalmuck Autonomous Region, Adighea in the North Caucasus).

Women of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Turkish women, women of the hill tribes and women of Kazakstan, throwing off the veil, notwithstanding all the efforts of the national reactionary elements to hold them back, are organising themselves in collective farms and going to work on these farms and in the factories.

For the last year the percentage of women among the workers of the national republics has risen from 10-15% to 25-28%.

Many women’s gatherings and conference were held in the national regions during the economic and political campaigns (spring sowing, weeding, the harvesting campaign, the procuring of stocks and grain and other campaigns). At these gatherings women members of collective farms in the national regions reported to the Party and the Government through their delegates and shock brigaders and various representatives on their achievements in increasing the productivity of labour, in correctly organising their work and in overcoming their illiteracy. They challenged other regions to competition (contract between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) sent brigades to help out where the work was weak and advanced candidates for the Party.

In the spring sowing campaign for cotton in Uzbekistan alone 2,197 women’s brigades embracing about 42,000 women were at work. In the Farab region of Turkmenistan 99% of all ploughing, sowing and harrowing was carried out by the Turkomen women, for the first time in the history of the Turkoman Republic. The men at that time were employed on irrigation work.

The decree of the Party on increased harvest received tremendous response from the workers on the collective farms in the Farab region, and instead of the estimated plan of 69 poods per hectare, they put forward a counter plan of 80 poods per hectare, and they not only submitted this plan but produced guarantees for its fulfilment. The fertilisation plan was fulfilled by some collective farms to the extent of 300-400%.

The political activity in the national regions is growing from year to year. In the last Soviet elections in the cities of the national regions 50-70% of the women voted as compared with 20-30% or less in the previous elections. In the villages and smaller settlements the proportion was 35-50%.

In Turkmenistan, which is one of the most backward of the national regions, the proportion of women elected to the presidiums of the village Soviets rose from 10% to 17%. The Turkoman republic, elected 11 members and 6 candidates to the C.E.C. The other national regions followed suit. In Uzbekistan and in the Turkoman republic the vice president of the C.E.C. is a woman.

The establishment and operation of industrial enterprises and collective farms calls for ever greater masses of working women from the villages and national regions.

But there are many obstacles in the way of departure from the small settlements and villages, especially for the women. Crops which require a great amount of labour, (cotton, tea, rice, etc.), as well as handicraft, which is very extensive throughout the east (rug-making etc.), still calls for large numbers of workers as a result of the poorly developed mechanisation, the nomadic form of life in a number of regions, the relatively backward cultural level of the populațion, seclusion of women, as well as various other survivals, and finally the attempts of the reactionary elements to prevent women from going into industry-all these are factors which still stand in the way of the rapid development of a women proletariat in the national regions.

The national regions are carrying on intensive work to train their organisers for the collective farms and Soviet farms, their engineers, their agronomists, their teachers and their technical cadres.

During 1930 alone, 5,300 skilled workers, technicians, and so forth were trained in Central Asia, 2,300 of these being from the national regions. The number is growing from year to year. The proportion of girls in 1931 in the vocational schools was 31 per cent and in workers’ courses 30 per cent. In Turkmenistan schools 21,500 women attended the socialist training schools (a few years ago there was not a single woman in Turkmenistan who could read and write). Compulsory education was introduced last year.

At one of the gatherings of working women in Margelan (Central Asia) 120 shock brigaders were present, 100 of them being native women. The gathering persuaded 670 women to go to work in Margelan, at the silk factory. 10 newly accepted working women threw off their veils on the spot. 150 persons joined the Party and 13 of the best shock brigaders were rewarded for their work by receiving places at health resorts, and three by being sent to work abroad. The result of the whole gathering was a pledge not to leave work until the completion of the second Five-Year Plan and to draw the native women into the process of production.

Under the most difficult conditions of class struggle and in the face of all old customs and religious traditions a large force of militant women has grown up in the Soviet East.

During the past year the number of women in party organisations in the eastern regions and republics has doubled. In comparison to the previous year twice as many women delegates were elected and the number of women members of the trade unions doubled. In Kazakstan alone in the summer of 1931 there were already 8,386 Communist women, 3,716 being members of collective farms. In Kirgkizia there were 2,024 women Party members, in the Bashkir 3,904 and in the Tartar republic 4,135. For central Asia as a whole there were approximately 10,000 women in the Party, and for TransCaucasia approximately 11,000. Each year in Central Asia alone as many as 20,000-23,000 women delegates are drawn into delegates’ work.

The systematic introduction of women labour in all branches of economic life in the national republics, as well as the stabilisation of woman labour depends to a far greater degree than in other regions of the Soviet Union upon the growth of cultural and social institutions.

For this reason the Party, trade unions and other organisations in the national republics are devoting special. attention to the question of developing a network of cultural and social institutions (day nurseries, kindergartens, play grounds, restaurants, institutions for protection of motherhood and childhood etc.), to the preparation of cadres for these institutions and to political and educational mass work (reading rooms, clubs, Red corners, peasant houses, Red tea-rooms, libraries etc.) and, finally, Hospitals, clinics, etc.

In 1931 in Turkmenistan along 14,000 children of workers on the collective farms were cared for in day nurseries. Since 1927, 17 hospitals and 96 surgical stations have been opened, and very great initiative is being shown in social work among women (in the organisation of preschool institutions for children, restaurants, laundries etc.). This is to a great extent due to volunteer work as well as to assistance to the national republics from other regions.

For example, during the sowing campaign of 1931 the Friends of Children Society organised 101 day nurseries in Central Asia, caring for 2,845 children, 133 children’s playgrounds, providing for 1627 children, and 44 children’s field groups, comprising 278 children.

International Press Correspondence, widely known as”Inprecorr” was published by the Executive Committee of the Communist International (ECCI) regularly in German and English, occasionally in many other languages, beginning in 1921 and lasting in English until 1938. Inprecorr’s role was to supply translated articles to the English-speaking press of the International from the Comintern’s different sections, as well as news and statements from the ECCI. Many ‘Daily Worker’ and ‘Communist’ articles originated in Inprecorr, and it also published articles by American comrades for use in other countries. It was published at least weekly, and often thrice weekly.

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