Milda

From the Baltic to the Caspian Sea, a revolutionary path
By Christian Bromberger
English

The Latvian Milda (Ottovna) Bulle is an outstanding, and now forgotten, character of the Russian Revolution and the early years of the Soviet regime. Having waged war in Azerbaijan, contributed to the short-lived Soviet Socialist Republic of Iran, she moved to Moscow where, after training at the Military Academy, she became the first woman to bear the title equivalent to brigadier general. She held positions at the NKID and the Comintern, where she was an activist for the rights of women across the world. Then she moved to Bashkiria, where she contributed to the spread and development of Russian and Bashkir cultures. In the end, she did not escape the “great Stalinist purge.” Having transgressed national origin, kinship, gender boundaries, Milda is an outstanding character but not a heroine honored by history.

Keywords

  • Woman
  • Bolshevik
  • Latvia
  • Iran
  • Soviet Union
Go to the article on Cairn-int.info