A Brief History of the Women’s Movement in Chuvashia (1917–2017)

The relevance of the study is related to the fact that the experience of evolvement and development of the women’s social movement is in demand at all times, since a woman plays an important role in the life of the family, the society and the state. The article examines the period from 1917 to 2017. The territorial framework covers the territory of Chuvashia. The purpose of the article is to briefly inform on the history of women’s social movement in Chuvashia, to trace the life path of its prominent representatives A.G. Gavrilova, O.I. Tallya, G.F. Sultanova and to assess their contribution to the socio-political, socio-economic and cultural development of the republic and the country as a whole. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the role and place of women in the socio-political, cultural, educational, socio-economic development of the region are shown in detail on the example of Chuvashia. Materials and methods. The main source base of the research was made by materials published in various publications about the activists of the women’s movement, memoirs of veterans of the movement and unpublished documents and materials stored in the State Archive of Modern History of the Chuvash Republic, as well as in the State Historical Archive of the Chuvash Republic, the personal archive of O.I.’Tallya’s daughter, S.S. Boyko and others. In the context of the problem historiography, the research of S.B. Kharitonova, N.S. Yakovleva, E.K. Mineeva, V.N. Klementyev, A.P. Khuzangai, A.P. Leontiev can be pointed out. Some information about the activities of women activists can be taken from the articles of A.V. Izorkin, V.P. Stanyal (Nikitin), F.F. Fedorov, G.A. Alekseev, and others. Study results. The article gives a brief history showing formation and development of women’s social movement in 1917–2017, examines the features of women’s organizations’ formation and activity in Chuvashia, as well as the problems faced by women’s organizations during the period under study. The biographies and results of the activities of the first representatives of the women’s movement are presented. It is noted that women made a significant contribution to the development of the state and society. Conclusions. The women’s social movement in Chuvashia originated after the 1917 revolution. A great contribution to the activation of this movement was made by A.G. Gavrilova, O.I. Tallya, G.F. Sultanova. The main tasks of women’s departments, later delegate meetings, then women’s councils, were to assist in protecting the rights and interests of women in the society, increasing their role in socio-political, economic and cultural life.