“The First Woman in Russia”: Countess Sofia Panina and Women’s Political Participation in the Revolutions of 1917

Abstract

The unique political career of philanthropist Countess Sofia Panina in 1917 provides insight into the problem of women’s political participation in the Revolution. Panina could be found in almost all of Petrograd’s major power centers: the Kadet Central Committee, the Petrograd Duma, and the Provisional Government, where she was the only female assistant minister. Yet her political involvement before October was mainly limited to the feminine sphere of education and social service. After the Bolshevik takeover she turned the connections and status she had achieved through government and party service into a leading role in the anti-Bolshevik opposition movement.