The October Revolution evolution brough liberation to workers, agriculture proletariat and also woman in USSR. Woman were no longer a property of husband, and they could pursuit any career, like scientist, engineer, soldier or even a cosmonaut. Their voice finally could be heard publicly.
It seems that the years after the October Revolution were also the time of sexual liberation, e.g. like women could have more partners without social stigma, characteristic to patriarchal societies. Conservatives describe this as moral decandency, they write that the Bolsheviks allowed “sadism and masochism” and all kind of sexual perversion. Of course, these conservative fucks do not admit that this “sadism and masochism” cases were most probably consensual sexual practices.
Then, I heard, when Stalin took power, the sexual liberty was tamed. The conservative fucks write something like “Stalin was a monster, but at least he put in order the sexual and moral decandency”. And it looks that the sex matters were quite a tabu during Stalin times. Maybe because there was the Great War and a maximal mobilization and discipline were needed. But after Stalin, things seems similar. I read a story of some Polish man, who met some ladies from USSR, probably in 80s. He said that they were more sexualy prudent than people rised in (ultra-?)catholic Poland (even if at that time there was People’s Republic of Poland, this country is cursed by very strong catholic mind-worm). I know that USSR had many based gay posters, but I do not see evidence of any sexual playfulnes in practice since Stalin. To put it shortly, USSR since Stalin looks as conservative in matters of customs and sex.
Is a grain of truth in the above or I get it wrong?
conservative compared to who and when? 70 years is a long time. the big ones i know off the cuff are:
the soviets decriminalized and then recriminalized homosexuality pretty early on, and then also abortion unbanned, re-banned for the more sympathetic than religious fascism but still gross reason of being desperate for population growth, and then unbanned again later before all the capitalist states.
soviets were better to the queer people liberated from nazi camps than the allies were, etc.
The October Revolution happened in the country that barely climbed out of feudalism, some conservative backlash was inevitable. You can’t just make people all progressive out of the blue, it is a slow process. Poland was just more developed in 1917, so it had some headstart.
Then, I heard, when Stalin took power,
“Revolution was good, then Stalin [was/did bad thing] so USSR became [bad thing].” is pretty much the original radlib madlib. Whatever social and material conditions existed in the USSR at the time, you can be sure that Stalin was a reflection of them, not the cause of them.
Not exactly what you’re looking for and I haven’t fully read it, but a good place to start on understanding sexuality in socialist countries might be Ghodsee’s book. Just be aware that as a Yankee “leftist” writer she’s contractually obligated to perpetuate nonsense myths.
There was an academic work mentioned in a recent Cosmopod episode Between the Market and the Plan. It was a very brief mention in regards to the shifting sexual mores in the USSR.
Unfortunately the title of the work wasn’t very descriptive nor catchy so I can’t recall it now. And of course the episode is 3 hours long. I’ll try to dig up the reference and get back to you about it.
Ah, I found it!
It’s called "Sex in Public: The Incarnation of Early Soviet Ideology”
I haven’t read it so I can’t promise anything but it might be a good place to start at the least.
