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Sex on the Front: Prostitution and Venereal Disease in Russia’s First World War

Hearne, Siobhán

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Authors

Siobhán Hearne



Abstract

Prostitution flourished during Russia's First World War. Mass mobilisation and the displacement of millions of the empire's population challenged the tsarist state's ability to control both the movement and bodies of those buying and selling sex. In light of this, military and medical authorities shifted their attention more directly onto regulating men's bodies. Wartime social turmoil also increased the visibility of prostitution, which saw many enlisted men lament the apparent ‘moral decline’ that they witnessed on the front. This article examines how the tsarist authorities grappled to control the bodies of its populace on Russia's western front, and how the conflict had an impact upon ideas of morality and sexuality.

Citation

Hearne, S. (2017). Sex on the Front: Prostitution and Venereal Disease in Russia’s First World War. Revolutionary Russia, 30(1), 102-122. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546545.2017.1317093

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date May 3, 2017
Publication Date May 3, 2017
Deposit Date Jan 22, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Revolutionary Russia
Print ISSN 0954-6545
Electronic ISSN 1743-7873
Publisher Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 30
Issue 1
Pages 102-122
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/09546545.2017.1317093
Related Public URLs http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42414/

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