All-Russian Congress of Soviets Всероссийский Съезд Советов | |
|---|---|
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| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Established | 1917 |
| Disbanded | 1937 |
| Preceded by | |
| Succeeded by | Supreme Soviet of Russia |
| Elections | |
| Indirect election | |
| Meeting place | |
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| Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets (November 7–9) in Petrograd,Smolny The Congress had no permanent location. | |
TheAll-Russian Congress of Soviets evolved from 1917 to become thesupreme governing body of theRussian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1918 until 1936, effectively. The1918 Constitution of the Russian SFSR mandated that Congress shall convene at least twice a year, with the duties of defining (and amending) the principles of theSoviet Constitution and ratifyingpeace treaties.[1][2] TheOctober Revolution ousted theprovisional government of 1917, making the Congress of Soviets the sole, and supreme governing body. This Congress was not the same as theCongress of Soviets of the Soviet Union which governed the wholeSoviet Union after its creation in 1922.
For the earlier portion of its life, the Congress was a democratic body. Over Russia there were hundreds ofsoviets, democratic local governing bodies in which the surrounding population could participate. The soviets elected the delegates to the Congress, and then in turn the Congress held the national authority, making the highest decisions. There were several political parties represented in the various sessions of the Congress, each of which fought for increasing their own influence in the soviets. However, as theRussian Civil War progressed, the soviets' authority was progressively reduced,[clarification needed] with therise of Stalinism effectively cementing this situation[3] and decisively turning the Congress into arubber stamp. The Congress was formed of representatives of city councils (1 delegate per 25,000 voters) and the congresses of the provincial (oblast) and autonomous republican councils (1 deputy for every 125,000 inhabitants).
The exclusive jurisdiction of the Congress consisted of the election of theAll-Russian Central Executive Committee, adoption of the Constitution of the Russian SFSR and amendments to it, approval of amendments proposed by the Central Executive Committee, and approval of the autonomous republics' constitutions. On the other issues, the Congress and the Central Executive Committee had the same authority. The Congress ceased to exist at the end of the constitutional reform of 1936–1937, when first on theunion and then at therepublican levelsindirect election to Soviets were replaced bydirect elections at all levels with theSupreme Soviet as the highest legislative body.
The firstsoviets appeared during the1905 Russian Revolution as councils (soviets) of workers in those cities that were captured by mass strikes (strike action).[4] Enterprises that were participating in those strikes had delegated to those councils their delegates to coordinate joint actions. In various locations those councils carried different names such as "Soviet of workers deputies", "Delegate assembly", "Assembly of deputies", "Commission of elected", and others.[4] By October 1905 the "Soviet of workers deputies" became more common.[4] Following the example of Soviets of workers deputies in other locations were appearing Soviets of workers, sailors, and soldiers deputies, Soviets of workers and peasants deputies, Soviet of peasants deputies.
Originally, those soviets were mass political organizations.[4]
For socialist parties the appearance of soviets was unexpected, yet each made an effort to delegate to them their representatives.[4]Mensheviks andSocialist-Revolutionaries viewed the soviets as strike committees or local authorities of self-government.[4]Bolsheviks saw them as the means to implement workers' power, and to lead the workers' dictatorship as well.[4] In 1905Vladimir Lenin noted that in political relations the Soviet of workers deputies should be viewed as the kernel or germ of provisional revolutionary government.[4]
In 1917Vladimir Lenin in hisApril theses came up with the famous slogan "All power to the Soviets!".[5] Following theFebruary Revolution, Lenin considered that in Russiadual power existed as an interweaving of bourgeoisie power (Provisional Government) and the powers of the revolutionary masses (soviets).[5] All other Russian political parties considered soviets as temporary public organizations and dual power was not relevant for them as they were preparing for elections to theAll-Russian Constituent Assembly.[5]
The embedding of the Bolsheviks into the Soviets (Bolshevization of the Soviets) established the Communist-Soviet system of state power in the USSR which existed until the 1988 constitutional reform.[5] It was apolitical regime that had combined in itself the dictatorship of the Communist Party and the power of soviets (councils) (see:Dictatorship of the Proletariat).[5] The mechanism of such combination was theoretically designed byVladimir Lenin and put into practice by theBolshevik party.[clarification needed][5] In the communist-soviet system of power, the dictatorship of the Bolshevik party (professional revolutionaries) was supplemented or concealed by thesovereignty of the soviets and therefore the system was calledSoviet power.[5]
Following theFebruary Revolution, on 11–16 April 1917 in Petrograd the All-Russian conference of Soviets of workers and soldiers deputies was held.[6]
At the conference, 480 delegates out of 139 Soviets, 13 military rear area garrisons, 7 of regular army, and 26 separate frontline councils attended.
On the agenda were
Majority was composed ofMensheviks andSRs. TheBolshevik group introduced its own resolution drafts on key issues of agenda.
In its resolution on war that was rather defensive, presented by Menshevik-SRPetrograd Soviet Executive Committee, the conference approved the declaration of the Provisional Government about the war (of 28 March) as if it abandoned aggressive goals. The Bolshevik group, on behalf of whichLev Kamenev had been speaking, took "a wrong position" by taking off own resolution draft and voting for the Menshevik-SR resolution after it was added with resolutions about "control and impact" of revolutionary democracy on the Provisional Government and its local authorities. Recognizing the need for a legislative establishment of 8 hour workday, the conference did not call the workers upon its immediate establishment by revolutionary means. On peasant and land issues, the conference adopted its resolution about support in the Constituent Assembly for gratuitous alienation from all privately owned lands and transferring them to working people, but spoke against "arbitrary resolution of land issue at local level", leaving, thus, the land in hands of landowners.
On 16 April 1917 the conference elected 10 delegates from oblasts and 6 from the Army and the Navy to the Petrograd Soviet Executive Committee turning it in this way in central authority of Soviets of the whole country until the opening of First All-Russian Congress of Soviets of workers and soldiers deputies. On 17 April 1917,Vladimir Lenin made a report about war and revolution in which he outlined hisApril theses to that conference. The same day he repeated his report at a joint conference of Bolsheviks and Mensheviks who took part.
The First All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers 'and Soldiers' Deputies (June 16 – July 7, 1917) was convened by the National Conference of the Soviets.[7] It was dominated by pro-government parties (Socialist-Revolutionaries, etc.) and confirmed the supremacy of theRussian Provisional Government.
There were 1090 delegates, 822 acting as voting delegates, representing 305 workers', soldiers' and peasant soviets, and 53 regional, provincial and district soviets. The breakdown of delegates by party was thus: 285Socialist-Revolutionaries, 248Mensheviks, 105Bolsheviks, 32Menshevik Internationalists, and others.[8][9][10] The right to vote was given to these soviets containing at least 25,000 persons, and each representative from 10,000 to 25,000 members was asked to speak on behalf of the Soviet of his locality or employment.
Following the overthrow of the Provisional Government of Russia in theOctober Revolution, the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies (November 7–9, 1917) ratified the revolutionary transfer of state power.[11]
Precise numbers are difficult to determine, but the Credentials Committee of the Congress reported that there were about 300Bolsheviks, 193SRs (more than half of which wereLeft SRs), and 82Mensheviks (of which 14 wereInternationalists) with 670 delegates total.[12] Other sources state that there were 338 Bolsheviks, 98 Left SRs, 40 Centre SRs, 33Menshevik-Internationalists, 32 unaffiliated SRs, 22Menshevik-Defencists, 16 Right SRs, 11 National Social Democrats, 4 National SRs, 1Popular Socialist, and 23 non-partisans. However, this count is likely based on incomplete data and includes some double-counts and other errors.[13][14] The St. Peters Encyclopedia counts 649 total delegates, representing 318 local soviets; 390 beingBolsheviks, 100Left SRs, about 60 otherSRs, 72Mensheviks, 14 United Socialist Democrat-Internationalists, 6Menshevik Internationalists and 7 of other factions.[15][16]
On the first day of the Congress, theSocialist Revolutionaries split into two groups – the Left Social Revolutionaries and the Right Social Revolutionaries. Also on the first day, theMenshevik delegation and RightSocialist Revolutionary deputies walked out in protest. 505 delegates voted in favour of the transfer of power to the Soviets. TheAll-Russian Central Executive Committee andCouncil of People's Commissars was elected by the Congress, namingVladimir Lenin the Chairman, and thus making him the head of government.[15] At the opening of the Congress, Lenin gave a speech saying that the "Soviet government will propose an immediate democratic peace to all the nations and an immediate armistice on all fronts" and declared "Long live the revolution!," uttering what are sometimes called the "Land Decree" and "Decree on Peace."[17][18][19]
The Third All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies (January 23–31, 1918) was attended by delegates from 317 Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' with a further 110 delegates from army, corps and divisional committees.[20] According to the Congress questionnaire, there were 647Bolsheviks (and sympathizers), 281Left SRs (and sympathizers), 41Right SRs (and sympathizers), 24Mensheviks, 19SR Maximalists, 18SD Internationalists, 9anarchists (and their sympathizers), 5 from nationalist groups (e.g.Polish Socialist Party), and 2Popular Socialists. In addition, there were 84 non-partisans. Furthermore, about 668 did not answer the Congress questionnaire.[14]
The Congress had a Presidium composed of ten Bolsheviks and three Left Socialist-Revolutionaries with a further delegate from each other group (Right Socialist-Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, etc.).
The Swiss, Romanian, Swedish and Norwegian Social-Democratic parties, the British Socialist Party and the Socialist Party of America sent messages of solidarity.
Occurring shortly after theConstituent Assembly had been dissolved by order of theAll-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK), the Congress resolved to expunge any references to the forthcoming Constituent Assembly from all new editions of decrees and laws of the Soviet Government.The Congress received:
The Mensheviks, Right Socialist-Revolutionaries and the Menshevik internationalists used the Congress to indicate their opposition to the domestic and foreign policy which the Bolsheviks passed.
TheDeclaration of Rights of the Working and Exploited People was passed and this went on to become the basis of the Soviet Constitution. It was also agreed to establish theRussian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic on the basis of a free union of the peoples of Russia.[21]
The Congress also approved the Decree on Land which provided the basic provisions of the redistribution and nationalization of land.[22]
At the Fourth Extraordinary All-Russian Congress of Soviets (March 14–16, 1918), theTreaty of Brest-Litovsk was ratified.[23][24] This marked a rift between the Bolsheviks and theLeft Socialist Revolutionaries, who voted against the treaty and whose ministers quit the Sovnarkom in protest.[25]
The Fifth All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers’ Peasants’, Soldiers’ and Red Army Deputies was held July 4–10, 1918. A decree that "linked citizenship to military service and obliged all healthy men aged 18–40 years to come forward" and fight for theRed Army in theRussian Civil War was passed.[26]
The Left Socialist-Revolutionaries had 352 delegates compared to 745 Bolsheviks out of 1132 total. The Left SRs raised disagreements on the suppression of rival parties, the death penalty, and mainly, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. TheLeft SR Uprising broke out on during this Congress. Its suppression marked the end of Left SR participation in the Congress of Soviets.
The Sixth Extraordinary All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers’, Peasants’, Cossacks’ and Red Army Deputies was held November 6–9, 1918.[27][28]
The Seventh All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers’, Peasants’, Cossacks’ and Red Army Deputies was held December 5–9, 1919.[28] That year a report on the foreign policy ofSoviet Russia was submitted to the Congress andLeon Trotsky read a report onSoviet military construction and fronts in theRussian Civil War.[29][30]
Officially called theEighth All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers’, Peasants’, Red Army and Cossack Deputies was held in Moscow on December 22–29, 1920.[28][31] It was at this Congress thatGleb Krzhizhanovsky presented his report on theGOELRO plan. This was the first economic plan which focused on significant electrification of Russian industry. Lenin criticisedTrotsky's pamphlet,The Role and Tasks of the Trade Unions at the subsequent preliminary joint meeting ofBolshevik delegates.[32] The Congress also established theSowing Committee (posevkomy).[33]
The Ninth All-Russian Congress of Soviets was held in Moscow from December 23–28, 1921. It was attended by 1,991 delegates, of whom 1,630 held voting status.[34]
The Tenth All-Russian Congress of Soviets was held in Moscow from December 23–27, 1922. It was attended by 1,727 delegates and 488 guests.[35] At this Congress, 488 were from theBolshevik-controlled states ofUkraine,Belorussia andTranscaucasia andJoseph Stalin announced the union of theRussian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic,Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic,Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, and theTranscaucasian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic into theSoviet Union, endorsed by the Congress.[36] In his speech before the Congress, Stalin, as final words, said that: "Let us hope, comrades, that by forming our Union Republic we shall create a reliable bulwark against international capitalism, and that the new Union State will be another decisive step towards the union of the working people of the whole world into a World Soviet Socialist Republic."[37]
The Eleventh All-Russian Congress of Soviets was held in Moscow from January 19–29, 1924. It was attended by 1,637 delegates, of whom 1,143 held voting status.[38]
The Twelfth All-Russian Congress of Soviets was held in Moscow from May 7–16, 1925. It was attended by 1,634 delegates, of whom 1,084 held voting rights.[39]
