At the beginning of the 20th century, Russian society was grappling with social conflicts common in the most remote areas of the globe. An obvious problem in early Russian history was the total mistreatment of women in an overly patriarchal society. In a society based on male dominance it is important to try to discover when public sentiment has shifted towards a more equal approach between the sexes. As if the mistreatment of women wasn't bad enough, it is evident that strong governmental influence existed in early Russian society. A detailed understanding of these dilemmas is crucial to understanding the bigger picture of ancient history in Russia. A disconnect between the sexes was highlighted in ancient Russian culture. The objectification of women was a common problem in Soviet society. In Mikhail Sholokhov's And Quiet Flows The Don there is an abundant amount of examples detailing men's attitudes towards women. At the beginning of the novel there is a disturbing depiction of rape between Aksinia Astakhov and her father. It is difficult to understand the motivations behind an act of rape, especially when combined with incest, but this is not the case with rape in the novel. Later there is a particularly graphic account of a gang rape scene between several Cossack soldiers and a young woman. While particularly difficult to read, this moment further illustrates the female objectification present in this time period, making clear the commonality of the abominable treatment of women. Furthermore, it turns out that men are more than willing to resort to violence if it is necessary to keep the rape a secret: "Breathe one word... and, by Christ, we will kill you!" (186). In a different aspect of daily life, it sometimes seems that women are not... at the center of the paper... power due to the installation of collectivization. Due to laws prohibiting the private sale of individually produced goods, farmers are forced to rely on what is sold at the market every day. Furthermore, on Volodina's election day, the lack of commitment regarding housing conditions is an indicator of what is truly important to the Soviet government's decision makers. If you add the real estate inactivity to the coercive elections shown in the story, you get a clear picture of the government's influence in Soviet society. During the reign of Lenin and then Stalin, the transition from a patriarchal society to a more equal society was certainly a positive outcome. . The seemingly dictatorial and coercive rule, however, was not a favorable outcome. It is clear that there is much room for improvement in Russian society at the end of Stalin's reign.