All-Russian Congress of Soviets

All-Russian Congress of Soviets Всероссийский Съезд Советов
Type
Type	Congress of Soviets
Timeline
Country	Russia
Established	1917
Preceded by	Russian Provisional Government Russian Constituent Assembly
Succeeded by	Supreme Soviet of Russia
Disbanded	1937
Members	Varies in every congress: 1090 at first (I) Congress 1338 at last (XVII) congress
Election
Voting system	Indirect elections
Meeting place
Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets (November 7-9) in Petrograd, Smolny The Congress had no permanent location.

The All-Russian Congress of Soviets was the supreme governing body of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1917-22 and of the Soviet Union until 1936. The 1918 Constitution of the Russian SFSR mandated that Congress shall convene at least twice a year. The 1925 constitution lowered the minimum to once a year.

History

First Congress

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. It was dominated by pro-government parties (Socialist-Revolutionaries, etc.) and confirmed the supremacy of the Russian Provisional Government.

Second All-Russian Congress

Following the overthrow of the Provisional Government of Russia in the October revolution, the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies (November 7-9, 1917) ratified the revolutionary transfer of state power. The Menshevik and Socialist Revolutionary deputies walked out in protest.

Third Congress

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. The Bolsheviks comprised 441 of the 707 delegates. On the fourth day January 13 (26), more delegates who had been at the Third All-Russia Congress of Soviets of Peasants' Deputies arrived. By the end there were 1,587 delegates.

The Congress had a Praesidium composed of ten Bolsheviks and three Left Socialist-Revolutionaries with a further delegate from each other group (Right Socialist-Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, etc.)

The Swiss, Rumanian, Swedish and Norwegian Social-Democratic parties, the British Socialist Party and the Socialist Party of America sent messages of solidarity.

Occurring shortly after the Constituent Assembly had been dissolved by order of the All-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:

• Yakov Sverdlov's report on the activity of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.
• Vladimir Lenin's report on the activity of the Council of People's Commissars.
• Joseph Stalin's report from the People's Commissariat of Nationalities on the principles of federation and the nationalities' policy for the emerging Soviet state. The nationalities policy was agreed.

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. The Declaration 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 the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic on the basis of a free union of the peoples of Russia. The Congress also approved the Decree on Land which provided the basic provisions of the redistribution and nationalization of land.^[1]

Fourth Congress

At the Extraordinary Fourth All-Russia Congress of Soviets (March 14-16, 1918), the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was ratified.^[2]

Fifth Congress

The Fifth All-Russia Congress of Soviets of Workers’ Peasants’, Soldiers’ and Red Army Deputies was held July 4-10, 1918.

Sixth Congress

The Extraordinary Sixth All-Russia Congress of Soviets of Workers’, Peasants’, Cossacks’ and Red Army Deputies was held November 6-9, 1918.

Seventh Congress

The Seventh All-Russia Congress of Soviets of Workers’, Peasants’, Cossacks’ and Red Army Deputies was held December 5-9, 1919.

Erasure

The Congress ceased to exist at the end of the constitutional reform of 1936-1937, when the first on the union and then at the republican levels indirect election to Soviets were replaced by direct elections at all levels with the Supreme Soviet as the highest body.

Election

See also: Democratic centralism

The Congress was formed of representatives of city councils (soviets) (1 delegate per 25,000 voters) and the congresses of the provincial (oblast) and autonomous republican council (1 deputy for every 125 thousand inhabitants).

Powers

The exclusive jurisdiction of the Congress consisted of:

• Election of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
• Adoption of the Constitution of the Russian SFSR and amendments to it.
• Approval of amendments proposed by VTsIK
• Approval of the ASSR's constitution

On the other issues the Congress and Central Executive Committee had the same authority.

References

1. ^ Third All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies (January 23-31, 1918) accessed 2 October 2010
2. ^ Extraordinary Fourth All-Russia Congress Of Soviets (March 14-16, 1918) accessed 2 October 2010