Ariadna
Tyrkova,
the daughter of a landowner, was born in Novogorod in 1869. Tyrkova
took no interest in politics until her brother was arrested and
exiled for being a member of the People's Will.
Tyrkova had wanted to become a doctor but the
policies of Alexander III made this
an impossibility. She joined the illegal Social
Democratic Labour Party and in 1903 was arrested and charged
with smuggling radical newspapers into Russia. She managed to escape
and fled to Germany.
In exile Tyrkova lived with Peter
Struve and his family in Stuttgart. She returned to Russia after
the 1905 Revolution. Over the next few years Tyrkova became one
of the most important leaders of the Women's Liberation movement
in Russia.
Tyrkova became disillusioned with the various
revolutionary groups and joined the Constitutional
Democrat Party (Cadets) party. She also
married the English journalist, Harold
Williams.
Aridna
Tyrkova
1.
Was highly critical of Nicholas
II
and the autocracy.
2.
Wanted Russia to have universal suffrage.
3. Wanted the
Russian government to allow freedom of expression and an end to
political censorship of newspapers and books.
4.
Thought Russia should support Serbia against the Triple
Alliance.
5.
Thought Russia should honour its obligations and support the Triple
Entente against the Triple Alliance.
6. As
the
Russian Army was the largest army in
the world she was convinced that Russia would defeat Austria-Hungary
and Germany
in a war.
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