Society of Women War Veterans: From the History of Social Adaptation of Civil War Heroines in the 1920s

The article analyzes the social adaptation of female combatants awarded the Order of the Red Banner in Soviet society of the 1920s, with a particular focus on the activities of the veterans' organization "Society of women participants in the Civil War", established in 1929.The research is based on archival materials from the Russian State Military Archive, including transcripts of speeches and autobiographies of women who experienced the war and faced challenges reintegrating into civilian life.A key theme of the article is the role of awards as symbolic capital, which, however, could not always be effectively used for social mobility.The author emphasizes that professional connections and participation in veterans' organizations often played a more significant role in the adaptation of women, especially in a Soviet society where gender roles limited their career opportunities.The analysis of women's memoirs reveals the duality of their war experience: heroism and military achievements contrast with personal tragedies and difficulties related to returning to civilian life.Despite the official rhetoric glorifying women, their actual social adaptation was a complex and ambiguous process, intertwined with the political use of their wartime memory and the transformation of private narratives.The article highlights the distinct emotionality of these memoirs.Based on this, the author suggests the importance of the "Society of women participants in the Civil War" in shaping the collective identity of women and converting their veteran status into a potential social resource.