| abstract |
This thesis offers a revisionist history of Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya
// (1869-1939). Although predominantly known in Western scholarship as Vladimir Lenin's
(1870–1924) wife, Krupskaya—a Russian revolutionary, Marxist feminist, pedagogue, and top
official at the People's Commissariat of Education (Narkompros)—was a significant historical
figure in her own right. This thesis challenges the prevailing historiographical paradigms that
frame Krupskaya through the reductive lens of "Lenin's wife" by critically analyzing Western
historiography and underexplored primary sources—including original archival research
conducted in Poland's Archive of Modern Records (Archiwum Akt Nowych). In doing so, I draw
on key contributions from women's and gender historians to shape my methodological
framework.
In Chapter I, I establish this framework through an in-depth analysis of gendered
historiographical narratives, gender dynamics among Russian revolutionaries, and Krupskaya's
place in Soviet collective memory. Chapter II provides a biographical account of Krupskaya's
pre-revolutionary work, focusing on her essential organizational role in the Bolshevik Party and
the double burden she shouldered while simultaneously caring for Lenin. Finally, Chapter III
examines her post-revolutionary educational work in the Narkompros, with a focus on the Soviet
school system, the LikBez literacy campaign, and their implications for women's emancipation.
Ultimately, this thesis uncovers Krupskaya's historically misrepresented and multifaceted
role in Soviet history, illuminating broader patterns of historical erasure. In reclaiming
Krupskaya's place in the historical narrative, this thesis contributes to a broader project of
historical revision that seeks to understand women's marginalization and revolutionary
movements in their full complexity.
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