Soviet Nightingales: Care under Communism

Susan Grant's book, "Soviet Nightingales," explores nursing care in the Soviet Union from its nineteenth-century origins to the end of the Soviet state. Nurses were crucial in building the New Soviet Person and constructing a socialist society, but the Bolsheviks failed to transform healthcare along socialist lines due to the struggle to train skilled medical workers.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 15 April 2022
Publisher: Cornell University Press

In her captivating book, Susan Grant delves into the intricate history of nursing care in the Soviet Union, tracing its origins from its nineteenth-century roots in Russia to the final days of the Soviet state. As the Soviet Union emerged, nurses played a pivotal role in shaping the New Soviet Person and constructing a socialist society. However, the early 1920s marked a challenging period, characterized by disease and illness stemming from years of war, revolution, and famine. Despite the immense demand for nurses, the question of how best to serve the country's needs remained. Grant explores this dilemma by examining various aspects of nursing, including living and working conditions, nurse-patient relations, education, and international nursing cooperation. Through her meticulous research, Grant recounts the Bolshevik effort to define the Soviet nurse and establish a new system of socialist care for the masses. While the Bolsheviks had ambitious plans to transform healthcare along socialist lines, their efforts were ultimately hindered by the complexities of training skilled medical workers. Soviet Nightingales is a profound exploration of the role of ideology in shaping the profession of nursing. Drawing on extensive archival research from Russia, the United States, and Britain, Grant provides a detailed account of how the Soviet government reimagined the role of nurses and shaped the profession. The book sheds light on the ideological influences that shaped nursing practices, the challenges faced by nurses in a socialist society, and the ways in which nurses adapted to changing circumstances. Soviet Nightingales is not only a valuable contribution to the history of nursing but also a thought-provoking examination of the intersection of politics, healthcare, and society. It serves as a reminder of the complex and often conflicting forces that shaped the Soviet Union and its healthcare system, and the enduring impact of these forces on the lives of nurses and patients alike.

Weight: 506g
Dimension: 151 x 229 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501762598