In this episode, Kristen R. Ghodsee reads and discusses Alexandra Kollontai's 1916 essay on seeing the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor for the first time. Kollontai was invited to the United States by the Socialist Party of America in 1915 to speak against US involvement in WWI. She toured the country visiting 80 cities and towns and delivering 123 speeches in 4 languages, including English, which she spoke fluently because she was raised by an English governess.

Here is a wonderful BBC Witness story about Alexandra Kollontai: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p03lfbqt

The intro music is a Russian version of The Internationale.

More info about the host can be found at: www.kristenghodsee.com

Also see: AlexandraKollontai.com – A Website for All Things Kollontai 

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Check out Kristen Ghodsee's recent books:

• Everyday Utopia
• Red Valkyries
• Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism
• Second World, Second Sex

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Kristen R. Ghodsee is the award-winning author of twelve books and a professor and chair of Russian and East European Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.