The Soviet Union's Mother Heroes

"Soviet orders and medals are milestones in the history of the USSR, a record of the progress made by the world's first socialist country over the last seventy-odd years. This period is characterized by unexpected valour displayed by the Soviet people in the defense of their Homeland in war and by their heroic efforts in the building of a new society."

Thumbing through the pages of this book, one is struck by the multitude of awards the Soviet Union established and awarded to her citizens. From high-level service in the military, farm and industrial production arenas and the space program, to notable heroism in battle and even to risking life and limb to save those in dire peril, the Soviets seemed to have designed a medal or order for just about any contingency.

What truly caught my attention, though, was a series of medals honoring those who had raised a large number of children, or whose children had died during the execution of their civil or military duties. One of the terrible statistics to come out of World War Two was the immense loss of life the Soviet Union endured. While no one will ever know the exact figure, estimates approach or even exceed 20,000,000 who died during the war. To put it into some kind of perspective, the United States lost fewer than 700,000 killed in action or from resulting wounds or diseases between 1941 and 1945.

Motherhood, then, was considered almost as a sacred duty to the Motherland. "The Hero Mother Order," rendered in gold and enamel, was conferred upon women who had raised ten or more children. The lesser medals, called "The Glory Motherhood Order" and "The Motherhood Medal," were conferred upon mothers who had raised between five and nine children. The other stipulation for being awarded any of these medals was to have adopted children who had perished in the defense of the USSR.

What does that say about the role of women in that society? In some ways, the Russian people view the role of women far differently than we certainly still do in this country. Over 18,000,000 of those medals were issued in total. Motherhood not only as a job, but also as a position that was honored with military-style decorations - not something I ever expect to see in any other land, although other nations in other times may have done just that. I'm certainly not an expert here.

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