Merchants, Noblewomen, Magnates: Women Entrepreneurs in Russia of the 19th Century

Those who believe that in 19th century Russia women were solely engaged in household chores and child-rearing, while men indisputably ruled the business world, will be convinced otherwise by this book. Drawing on her many years of research, historian Galina Ulyanova demonstrates that both merchant daughters and representatives of all economically active classes were well-versed in financial matters and deal-making. The social status of women entrepreneurs varied from petty bourgeois and soldiers' wives managing small crafts and retail shops to magnates and renowned merchants, such as noblewoman Nadezhda Stenbok-Fermor, the owner of steel rolling mills, and Maria Morozova, the owner of the largest textile factories in Russia. What was the attitude of these women towards wealth? What business development strategies did they choose? Were these entrepreneurs able to combine firmness in business with softness and care at home? The author answers these questions by presenting dozens of fantastic tales of women's success that overturn our notions of women's place in pre-revolutionary society. Galina Ulyanova — Doctor of Historical Sciences, Chief Researcher at the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, author of seven books on the history of merchant activity and philanthropy.