Citizen Countess

Description

Countess Sofia Panina lived a remarkable life. Born into an aristocratic family in imperial Russia, she found her true calling in improving the lives of urban workers. Her passion for social service and reputation as the "Red Countess" led her to political prominence after the fall of the Romanovs. She became the first woman to hold a cabinet position and the first political prisoner tried by the Bolsheviks. The upheavals of the 1917 Revolution forced her to flee her beloved country, but instead of living a quiet life in exile she devoted the rest of her long life to humanitarian efforts on behalf of fellow refugees.
Based on Adele Lindenmeyr's detailed research in dozens of archival collections, Citizen Countess establishes Sofia Panina as an astute eyewitness to and passionate participant in the historical events that shaped her life. Her experiences shed light on the evolution of the European nobility, women's emancipation and political influence of the time, and the fate of Russian liberalism. Adele Lindenmeyr is dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova University and author of Poverty Is Not a Vice: Charity, Society and the State in Imperial Russia. She is also coeditor of Russia's Home Front in War and Revolution, 1914–1922. Contents List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
A Note on Names and Dates xv
Introduction 3
1 A Fairy-Tale Childhood 16
2 The Battle for Sofia 34
3 “The Richest Marriageable Girl in Russia” 56
4 The People’s House 83
5 The “Red Countess” 108
6 Sofia Goes to War 136
7 Revolution in Petrograd 157
8 Sofia Goes Underground 182
9 Enemy of the People 204
10 Fighting the Bolsheviks 226
11 “Our Bread Tastes Bitter in Foreign Lands” 259
Epilogue 287
Notes 301
Bibliography 357
Index 375
 

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