From the early days of its establishment (1917), the Soviet state pursued policies that would emancipate women and give them equal rights with men, as an important part of the overall strategy to build a new society. The first Soviet constitution (1918) and a series of subsequent decrees granted women equal political rights that gave them access to civil service. In implementing these policies, which were advanced for their time, the Bolshevik government made special provisions to ensure that Muslim women of ex-colonial Russian territories were involve…