Pobyt Aleksandry Kołłontaj w Szwecji i Danii (IX 1914–I 1915)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present the activites undertaken by Alexandra Kollontai during her stay in Sweden in 1914. Alexandra was a famous socialist activist at the time, and as a consequence of her activity had to flee Russia in 1908. For the following eight years, she remained in exile. She traveled throughout Europe, but collaborated most closely the with German Social Democrats party. After the I World War began, Kollontai – along with her son, Michael – was arrested. Thanks to an intervention of influential German politicians, both of them were released from jail. Shaken, she broke up her ties with the German socialist movement. Alone, Kollontai traveled to Sweden in September 1914, and moved for good to Stockholm. During the sojourn in Sweden, Kollontai was in touch with one of the most prominent local socialist activists, Hjalmar Branting, and took an active part in the Swedish socialist movement. During her short-term stay in Norway, Kollontai was not formally a supporter of the Bolshevik proposition, but she still wrote letters to Lenin. She also had a love affair with a Bolshevik comrade, Alexander Shliapnikov. The Swedish police arrested Kollontai for participation in anti-military propaganda activities. She was exiled from the country in November 1914, to Copenhagen. Also there, Kollontai managed to establish close relationship with the Bolsheviks. Hereafter, she has played a crucial role in the re-opening of the northern smuggling route.