Wikipedia:Peer review/Nadezhda Alliluyeva/archive1

Nadezhda Alliluyeva

The second wife of Joseph Stalin, Nadezhda Alliluyeva had an interesting life of her own, though is of course most famous for who she married (and her death). I expanded this article some time ago and it passed GA, but think it could go for FA, but I'd prefer a look over if possible. Any comments are welcome.

Thanks, Kaiser matias (talk) 03:36, 5 January 2022 (UTC)

Comments by Borsoka

• Consider mentioning that Voronezh Oblast is located in (southwestern Russia).

Done

• Link study circles. Perhaps "workers' study circles"?

Done

• Perhaps "workers' study circles" instead of "worker's study circles"?

• Link Bolsheviks and consider introducing them as revolutionary/radical socialists.

Fixed

Done

• Mention that the Bolsheviks assumed power in Russia in autumn 1917 and a civil war began.

Done

• Why is Kato Svanidze is mentioned between brackets? Why is only her first name mentioned?

Good question. I've changed that to spell her full name.

• Was she indeed expelled from the Party? What was the reason?

It's not really clear. As the following sentence notes, Kotkin thinks it was because of a dispute between her and Stalin, but sources from the era are unclear.

• Perhaps you could mention that she was expelled for unclear reasons.

Added a note about that to be clearer, thanks.

• Mention that Lenin died and Stalin emerged as the paramount leader of the Party. (Otherwise her role as "First Lady" remains unclear.)

Done

• At the Academy, Alliluyeva interacted with students from across the Soviet Union, and learned of the issues the collectivization of agriculture, in particular in Ukraine, which was seeing widespread famine, and was causing on them. Consider rewording.

Done.

• , who was born to Stalin's first wife Kato in 1907 Consider deleting. Repetition of information mentioned in a previous section.

Done

• Perhaps "Alliluyeva's siblings and their families lived nearby the dacha"?

Fixed

• Perhaps "a hairdresser that who worked in the Kremlin"?

Fixed

• , and it would be 10 years before they learned of the specific details Consider deleting this text to avoid duplication, because it is mentioned in the last section.

Good point, removed.

Thank you for this interesting and well-researched article. Borsoka (talk) 03:45, 5 February 2022 (UTC)

@Borsoka: Thanks for taking the time to look over the article. I'm glad you found it interesting, and addressed everything you noted. Appreciate your help here. Kaiser matias (talk) 18:36, 5 February 2022 (UTC)

Caeciliusinhorto

Comments from my initial read through. I have some of the sources you've used, so I may come back and have another look over this once I've referred to them...

• "The family would often help hide Bolsheviks, a Russian revolutionary group at their home, including Stalin" - at minimum there is a missing comma here after "group", but this sentence is pretty clunky anyway. They weren't hiding a Russian revolutionary group in their home; they were hiding (some of) its members!

Good point, added a qualifier there.

• "But, it had been many years since they had last seen each other, and over the course of the summer they became close." - the first comma is definitely unnecessary; I would consider whether "but" adds anything to this sentence at all.

Agreed, removed both.

• "Lenin in a leadership role" - this is kinda vague. I can't remember if Lenin had an official title at this point?

Officially he would be "Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, which is a little awkward to shoehorn in here, I would argue.

• "Alliluyeva transferred to briefly work for Sergo Ordzhonikidze" - not a household name: I would consider briefly glossing who Ordzhoikidze was!

True, I've added a note of why he is relevant.

• "As per the custom of the time" - "as per" is terrible business!speak, and completely redundant. If you insist on "per", cut the "as"; but "As was the custom" or "In accordance with the custom" is probably more straightforward.

I went with "As was the custom", but am open to better wording of course.

• "the Bolsheviks were more sexually liberated than earlier Russian society, so it is possible that he did have liaisons with some of these women" - I'm raising my eyebrows at the idea that men having affairs is evidence of a sexually liberated society! It's hardly as though the Czars didn't have mistresses and illegitimate children!

This is true. I've tried to re-word it, let me know if that works better.

• "At one point, things became even worse between the two, but Montefiore suggested that when Stalin "toasted the destruction of the Enemies of the State", he saw Alliluyeva did not raise her glass as well (she was known to be against Stalin's recent campaign against the peasantry), and became annoyed." - I don't understand why these statements are connected by "but".

True, "but" isn't the right word there; I've changed that around.

• "the GUM department store, which was opposite Red Square and the Kremlin" - GUM, the Red Square, and the Kremlin are all still there; cut "which was", which might imply that this is no longer the case.

Removed the "which was".

Caeciliusinhorto (talk) 22:13, 6 March 2022 (UTC)

Thanks for going through it. Always good to have someone clean up wording like that, and if you have anything else to suggest please do. Kaiser matias (talk) 01:06, 9 March 2022 (UTC)

No problem – I'll try to have another look this weekend when I have some time to sit down with my Russian history books. If you fancy a break from Russian history, I'd be grateful for any eyes on Corinna, up for PR here Caeciliusinhorto (talk) 18:25, 9 March 2022 (UTC)

I'll be happy to look it over, sure. Least I can do. Kaiser matias (talk) 16:23, 12 March 2022 (UTC)

@Kaiser matias: It has been over a month since the last comment on this PR. Are you still interested in receiving feedback, or is this ready for FAC? Z1720 (talk) 19:37, 14 April 2022 (UTC)

@Z1720: This should be good to close. I do have one last book I want to check in on (waiting for it through a local library), but that should not have any major revisions to what is here. Kaiser matias (talk) 23:41, 14 April 2022 (UTC)