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Une assemblée du soviet de Petrograd en 1917.

Le soviet des députés ouvriers et des délégués des soldats de Petrograd, généralement appelé soviet de Petrograd, a été créé en Russie en mars 1917, après la révolution de Février, en tant qu'organe représentatif des travailleurs de la ville. Le soviet de Petrograd (Saint-Pétersbourg) a pris de l'importance au cours de la révolution russe comme un centre de pouvoir rival du gouvernement provisoire.

Sommaire

1 Formation
2 Ispolkom
3 Émeutes et protestations de rue
4 L'arrivée du bolcheviks
5 Avance allemande et le Comité de Défense de la Révolution
6 Formation
7 Ispolkom
8 Power struggle with the Provisional Government
9 Riots and street protests
10 Rise of the Bolsheviks
11 German advance and Committee of Revolutionary Defense
12 Notes et références
13 Source

[modifier] Formation

Un soviet des travailleurs avait été créé à Saint-Pétersbourg en 1905. Mais le principal précurseur du soviet de Petrograd de 1917 était le groupe central des travailleurs (russe : Центральная Рабочая Група, Tsentral'naya Rabochaya Grupa), fondé en novembre 1915 par les mencheviks pour prendre place entre les travailleurs et le nouveau Comité industrialo-militaire central de Petrograd. Le groupe est devenu de plus en plus radical à mesure que la Première Guerre mondiale progressait et que la situation économique s'aggravait, en encourageant des manifestations de rue et en délivrant des messages révolutionnaires.

On January 27 , 1917 (all dates Old Style ) the entire leadership of the Central Workers' Group was arrested and taken away to the Peter and Paul Fortress on the orders of Alexander Protopopov , the Minister of the Interior in Imperial Russia . Le 27 janvier 1917^[1], tous les dirigeants de la Centrale des travailleurs du Groupe a été arrêté et emmené dans la forteresse Pierre et Paul sur les ordres d'Alexandre Protopopov, le ministre de l'intérieur dans la Russie impériale. They were freed by a crowd of disaffected soldiers on the morning of February 27 , the beginning of the February Revolution, and the chairman declared a meeting to organize and elect a Soviet of Workers' Deputies that day. Ils ont été libérés par une foule de mécontents soldats dans la matinée du 27 février, le début de la révolution de février, et le président a déclaré une réunion à organiser et à élire un soviétique de travailleurs députés ce jour-là.

That evening between 50 and 300 hundred people attended the meeting at the Tauride Palace . Ce soir-là, entre 50 et 300 cents personnes ont assisté à la réunion au Palais de Tauride. A provisional executive committee ( Ispolkom ), was chosen with Nikolay Chkheidze as head and mostly Menshevik deputies. Un comité exécutif provisoire (Ispolkom), a été choisi avec Nikolay Chkheidze à la tête et pour la plupart des mencheviks députés. (Chkheize was replaced by Irakli Tsereteli in late March). Izvestia was chosen as the official newspaper of the group. (Chkheize a été remplacé par Irakli Tsereteli à la fin mars). Izvestia, a été choisi comme le journal officiel du groupe. The following day, February 28] was the plenary session; elected representatives from factories and the military joined the soviet, and again moderates dominated. Le lendemain, 28 février] a été la session plénière, les représentants élus des usines et rejoint l'armée soviétique, et de nouveau dominé les modérés. Non-representative voting and enthusiasm gave the Soviet almost 3,000 deputies in two weeks, of which the majority were soldiers. Non représentatif de vote et d'enthousiasme a donné la soviétique quelque 3000 députés en deux semaines, dont la majorité étaient des soldats. The meetings were chaotic, confused and unruly, little more than a stage for speechmakers. Les réunions ont été chaotique, confus et indisciplinés, un peu plus d'un stade de speechmakers. The party-based Ispolkom quickly took charge of actual decision-making. La partie axée sur Ispolkom a rapidement pris en charge effective de la prise de décision.

[modifier] Ispolkom

The Ispolkom members came only from political groups, with every socialist party given three seats (agreed March 18 ). Le Ispolkom membres viennent seulement de groupes politiques, avec tout le parti socialiste donné trois sièges (approuvé 18 mars). This created an intellectual and radical head to the peasant-, worker-, and soldier-dominated body. Cela a créé un intellectuel et radical à la tête de la paysannerie, des travailleurs -, et soldat dominé corps. The'Ispolkom meetings were more intense and almost as disorderly as the public meetings and often extremely long. The'Ispolkom réunions ont été plus intense et presque aussi désordonné que les réunions publiques, et souvent très longue.

On March 1 the Ispolkom resolved to remain outside any new State Duma. , Le 1er mars, la Ispolkom résolue à demeurer en dehors de toute nouvelle Douma. This allowed the group to criticize without responsibility and kept them away from any potential backlash. Cela a permis au groupe de critiquer sans responsabilité et tenues à l'écart de toute éventuelle réaction. On March 2 the Soviet received the eight-point program of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma and appointed an oversight committee ( nabliudatel'nyi komitet ) and issued a decidedly conditional statement of support. Le 2 mars soviétique a reçu le programme en huit points du Comité provisoire de la Douma d'Etat et a nommé un comité (nabliudatel'nyi komitet), et ont publié une déclaration conditionnelle décidément de soutien. Worse, the Soviet undermined the Provisional Government by issuing its own orders, beginning with the seven-article Order No. 1 . Pire, le Soviet sapé le gouvernement provisoire par l'émission de ses propres ordres, en commençant par les sept l'article ordonnance n o 1. The Soviet was not opposed to the war – internal divisions produced a public ambivalence–but was deeply worried about counterrevolutionary moves from the military and was determined to have garrison troops firmly on its side. Le Soviet n'est pas opposée à la guerre, des divisions internes produites publiquement, mais l'ambivalence est profondément préoccupé par counterrevolutionary coups d'état militaires et de déterminer que les troupes de garnison fermement sur le côté.

The Petrograd Soviet developed into an alternate source of authority to the Provisional Government under (Prince) George Lvov and later Alexander Kerensky · Le Petrograd soviétique devenue une autre source de l'autorité au gouvernement provisoire en vertu de (Prince) et, plus tard, de Lvov George Alexander Kerensky ·

This created a situation described as dvoevlastie ( dual power ) in which the Petrograd Soviet competed for legitimacy with the Provisional Government until the October Revolution. Cela a créé une situation décrite comme dvoevlastie (double alimentation), dans laquelle le Soviet de Petrograd pour la légitimité des compétitions avec le gouvernement provisoire jusqu'à ce que la Révolution d'octobre.

The Ispolkom often publicly attacked the Provisional Government as bourgeois and boasted of its de facto power over de jure authority (control over post , telegraphs , the press, railroads , food supply , and other infrastructure . A " shadow government " with a Contact Commission (created March 8 ) to "inform... [the Provisional Government] about the demands of the revolutionary people, to exert pressure on the government to satisfy all these demands, and to exercise uninterrupted control over their implementation." On March 19 the control extended into the military front lines with commissars appointed with Ministry of War support. Le Ispolkom souvent publiquement attaqué le Gouvernement provisoire comme bourgeoise et vanté de son pouvoir de fait sur l'autorité, de jure (contrôle de la poste, télégraphes, de la presse, les chemins de fer, l'approvisionnement alimentaire, et d'autres infrastructures. Un "gouvernement d'ombre" d'une Commission de contact ( Créé le 8 mars) à "informer ... [le gouvernement provisoire] à propos des exigences du peuple révolutionnaire, à faire pression sur le gouvernement à satisfaire toutes ces exigences, et d'exercer un contrôle sur ininterrompue leur mise en oeuvre." Le 19 mars dernier le contrôle Militaire prolongée dans la ligne de front avec les commissaires nommés avec l'accord du Ministère de la guerre.

The Ispolkom expanded to 19 members on April 8 , nine representing the Soldiers' Section and ten the Workers' Section. Le Ispolkom élargi à 19 membres le 8 avril, neuf représentant la Soldiers' et dix Section de la Workers' Section. All members were socialists, the majority Mensheviks or Socialist-Revolutionaries ; there was no Bolshevik representation. Tous les membres étaient socialistes, la majorité socialiste - ou mencheviks révolutionnaires, il n'y avait pas de représentation bolchevique. After the All-Russian Consultation of Soviets, the Petrograd Soviet began adding representatives from other parts of Russia and the front lines, renaming itself the All-Russian Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies . Après le All-Russian Consultation des Soviétiques, le Soviet de Petrograd a commencé ajoutant des représentants d'autres régions de la Russie et de la ligne de front, se renommant All-Russian soviétique des travailleurs et des soldats des députés. The committee became the All-Russian Central Executive Committee ( CEC or VTsIK ) with over 70 members (but no peasant representatives). Le comité est devenu le All-Russian Comité exécutif central (CEC ou VTsIK) avec plus de 70 membres (représentants, mais aucun paysan). The mass meeting of the entire body were tapered off, being reduced from daily in the first weeks to roughly weekly by April. La masse réunion de l'organisme entier ont été arrêté, a été réduite de tous les jours dans les premières semaines à peu près chaque semaine en avril.

[modifier] Émeutes et protestations de rue

Disputes over war aims led to street protests on April 20-21, including military units protesting outside the Mariinsky Palace . Vise les différends sur la guerre ont conduit à des protestations de rue sur April 20-21, y compris les unités militaires qui protestaient à l'extérieur du palais Mariinsky. The unrest was quickly directed by Bolshevik leaders into what some interpret as a coup attempt. L'agitation a rapidement été réalisé par les dirigeants bolcheviques dans ce que certains interprètent comme une tentative de coup d'État. The Ispolkom issued proclaimations to restrain disorder and repeatedly quashed Lavr Kornilov's demands to put troops and artillery on the streets. Le Ispolkom émis proclaimations pour limiter le désordre et de façon répétée annulée Lavr Kornilov revendications de mettre des troupes et l'artillerie dans les rues. There were riots in Petrograd, and also Moscow, but anti-Bolshevik and pro-Provisional Government groups soon stopped the agitators. Il y avait des émeutes à Petrograd, mais aussi Moscou, mais la lutte contre bolchevique et pro gouvernement provisoire groupes bientôt arrêtée le agitateurs.

The riots deeply worried the Provisional Government. Les émeutes profondément inquiète le gouvernement provisoire. There were a number of resignations and on May 1 the Ispolkom voted to allow its members to take Cabinet posts in return for further concessions (the Bolsheviks and the left Menshevik followers of Julius Martov opposed the move and were against any cooperation with the Provisional Government). Il ya eu un certain nombre de démissions et le 1er mai sur la Ispolkom voté pour permettre à ses membres de prendre des postes ministériels en échange d'autres concessions (les bolcheviks et les mencheviks de gauche adeptes de Julius Martov opposé à la déplacer et étaient opposés à toute coopération avec le Gouvernement provisoire) . After negotiations a new cabinet was chosen on May 6 . Alexander Guchkov and Pavel Milyukov , the leader of the Constitutional Democrats (Cadets), left the government. Après des négociations un nouveau cabinet a été choisi le 6 mai. Alexander Guchkov et Pavel Milyukov, le chef du Conseil des démocrates (Cadets), ont quitté le gouvernement. Alexander Kerensky was moved to the Ministry of War. Alexandre Kerensky a été transférée au Ministère de la Guerre. Six socialists took cabinet posts. Six postes ministériels socialistes ont pris.

[modifier] L'arrivée du bolcheviks

The Bolsheviks rapidly assumed the mantle of the official opposition and took advantage of the new socialist presence in the Cabinet to attack them for the failures of the Provisional Government. Les bolcheviks rapidement pris le manteau de l'opposition officielle et a profité de la nouvelle présence socialiste au sein du Cabinet pour les attaquer pour les échecs du gouvernement provisoire. The Bolsheviks began a strong run of propaganda. Les bolcheviks ont commencé une forte courir de propagande. In June 100,000 copies of Pravda (including Soldatskaya Pravda , Golos Pravdy , and Okopnaya Pravda ) were printed daily. En juin, 100000 exemplaires de la Pravda (y compris Soldatskaya Pravda, Golos Pravdy, et Okopnaya Pravda) ont été imprimés par jour. In July over 350,000 leaflets were distributed. En juillet, plus de 350000 brochures ont été distribuées. The July Days riots from July 16-17 led by the Bolsheviks were without success. Le numéro de juillet jours d'émeutes de juillet 16-17 dirigée par les bolcheviks ont été sans succès.

The rise of Kerensky, and the later shock of the Kornilov affair , polarized the political scene. La montée de Kerensky, et plus tard, le choc de l'affaire Kornilov, polarisé la scène politique. The Petrograd Soviet moved steadily leftwards just as those of the center and right consolidated around Kerensky. Le Soviet de Petrograd déplacé progressivement la gauche de même que celles du centre et de droite regroupées autour de Kerenski. Despite the events in July the Ispolkom moved to protect the Bolsheviks from serious consequences, adopting resolutions on August 4 and August 18 against the arrest and prosecution of Bolsheviks. Malgré les événements de juillet, le Ispolkom déménagé à protéger les bolcheviks de graves conséquences, adoptant des résolutions le 4 août et août 18 contre l'arrestation et la poursuite des bolcheviks. Still leery of the Ispolkom the government released many senior Bolsheviks on bail or promise of good behavior. Toujours méfiant de la Ispolkom le gouvernement a publié de nombreux hauts bolcheviks sous caution ou la promesse de bonne conduite.

In the August 20 municipal elections the Bolsheviks took a third of the votes, a 50 percent increase in three months. Dans le 20 Août élections municipales, les bolcheviks ont pris un tiers des votes, une participation de 50 pour cent de plus de trois mois. There was also a general falling away in the attendance of soviet meetings. Il y avait aussi un grand écart dans la baisse de fréquentation des réunions soviétique. Indeed, many of the smaller soviets no longer existed except on paper. En effet, beaucoup de petits soviet n'existe plus, sauf sur le papier.

During the Kornilov affair the Ispolkom was forced to use the Bolsheviks' military as its main force against the "counter-revolution." Au cours de l'affaire Kornilov la Ispolkom a été contraint d'utiliser les bolcheviks militaires, qui est son principal force contre la "contre-révolution." Kerensky ordered the distribution of 40,000 rifles to the workers of Petrograd (some Red Guards ), many of which ended in the hands of Bolshevik groups. Kerensky a ordonné la distribution de 40000 fusils aux travailleurs de Petrograd (certains gardes rouges), qui a mis fin à de nombreuses dans les mains de groupes bolchevique.

As other socialist parties abandoned the Soviet organizations, the Bolsheviks increased their presence. Comme les autres partis socialistes soviétiques abandonnés organisations, les bolcheviks ont accru leur présence. On September 25 they gained a majority in the Workers' Section and Leon Trotsky was elected chairman. Le 25 septembre ils ont gagné la majorité au sein de la Workers' Section et Léon Trotsky a été élu président. He directed the transformation of the Soviet into an adjunct of the party, bypassing the Menshevik-SR Ispolkom and non-Bolshevik soviets to form a new Bolshevik control structure. Il a dirigé la transformation de l'Union soviétique en complément de la partie, en contournant les mencheviks - SR Ispolkom et non bolchevique des soviets pour former une nouvelle structure de contrôle bolchevique.

The Bolsheviks used their power in the Petrograd Soviet to set-up a second All-Russian Congress of Soviets on October 20 (agreed September 26 ), despite only eight of 169 soldiers' or workers' soviets expressing support. Les bolcheviks utilisé leur pouvoir dans le Petrograd soviétique pour mettre en place une deuxième Congrès panrusse des Soviets, le 20 octobre dernier (approuvé le 26 Septembre), malgré seulement huit des 169 soldats ou de travailleurs se déclarant en faveur des soviets. With the November elections to the Constituent Assembly looming the Bolsheviks had to use their power quickly to discredit the elections. Avec les élections de novembre à l'Assemblée constituante qui menace les bolcheviks ont dû utiliser leur pouvoir rapidement pour discréditer les élections. The Ispolkom denounced the Congress and the steps the Bolsheviks were taking to create its delegates. Le Ispolkom dénoncé le Congrès et les mesures les bolcheviks prennent pour créer ses délégués. Suddenly and without reason, on October 17 , the Ispolkom Bureau approved the Congress. Soudainement et sans raison, le 17 octobre, le Ispolkom Bureau a approuvé le Congrès.

[modifier] Avance allemande et le Comité de Défense de la Révolution

On October 6 , with a German advance threatening the city, the government - after advice from the military – made plans to evacuate to Moscow. Le 6 octobre, avec une avance allemande menaçant la ville, le gouvernement, après avis de l'armée - des plans d'évacuation à Moscou. The Ispolkom attacked the move and Trotsky had the still-Menshevik Soldiers' Section vote on a resolution condemning the evacuation. Le Ispolkom attaqué le déplacer et Trotsky l'avait encore des mencheviks Soldiers' Section de vote d'une résolution condamnant l'évacuation. The Provisional Government gave way and delayed any evacuation plans indefinitely. Le gouvernement provisoire a retardé toute façon et plans d'évacuation indéfiniment. Its attempts to dispatch Petrograd garrison units to the front were resisted by the troops and by the Ispolkom. Ses tentatives d'envoi de garnison de Petrograd unités à l'avant ont été combattues par les soldats et par les Ispolkom.

On October 9 the Soviet considered the creation of a Committee of Revolutionary Defence. Le 9 octobre soviétique a considéré que la création d'un Comité de défense révolutionnaire. The Bolsheviks and Leon Trotsky amended the resolution to create a Military Defence Committee, to control the security of Petrograd against both German and domestic threats. Les bolcheviks et Léon Trotsky a modifié la résolution de créer un comité de défense militaire, pour contrôler la sécurité de Petrograd contre les menaces intérieures et allemand. The Plenum of the Soviet voted in favour of a committee to "gather... all the forces participating in the defence of Petrograd... to arm the workers... ensuring the revolutionary defence of Petrograd... against the... military and civilian Kornilovites." L'assemblée plénière de l'Union soviétique a voté en faveur d'un comité chargé de "... rassembler toutes les forces participant à la défense de Petrograd ... pour armer les travailleurs révolutionnaires ... assurant la défense de Petrograd contre le ... ... Militaires et civils Kornilovites. "

The Ispolkom approved the resolution, against Menshevik resistance, on October 12 and the measure was formally approved by the Soviet on October 16 , despite warnings from the Mensheviks and SRs, creating the Military Revolutionary Committee ( Voenno-Revoliutsionnyi Komitet ), also called the Milrevcom or Military Committee. Le Ispolkom approuvé la résolution, à l'encontre des mencheviks résistance, le 12 octobre, et la mesure a été officiellement approuvé par les soviétiques le 16 octobre, malgré les avertissements de la mencheviks et SR, créant le Comité militaire révolutionnaire (Voenno - Revoliutsionnyi Komitet), également appelé le Milrevcom Ou Comité militaire.

The Military-Revolutionary Committee was chaired by Pavel Evgenyevich Lazimir , with Nikolay Ilyich Podvoysky as his deputy. Le Comité militaire révolutionnaire a été présidée par Pavel Evgenyevich Lazimir, avec Nikolay Ilyich Podvoysky comme son adjoint. Basically it was the front for the activities of the Bolshevik's Military Organization. Fondamentalement, il a été l'avant pour les activités de l'Organisation de l'Armée bolchevique. Podvoysky would take official control of the Committee on the day of the uprising, with Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko as secretary. Podvoysky prendrait contrôle officiel de la Commission le jour de l'insurrection, avec Vladimir Antonov - Ovseenko comme secrétaire. The Ispolkom and the Provisional Government had been cut out of control of the forces in the Petrograd Military District, and without orders the garrison would remain neutral. Le Ispolkom et le gouvernement provisoire avait été découpés dans le contrôle des forces dans le district militaire de Petrograd, et sans ordres de la garnison resterait neutre.

The Military Staff was side-lined when the Milrevcom took exclusive control of the garrison troops in the name of the Soldiers' Section of the Soviet on the night of October 21 . Le militaire a été doublée de côté lorsque le Milrevcom a pris le contrôle exclusif de la garnison de troupes dans le nom de la Soldiers' Section de l'Union soviétique dans la nuit du 21 octobre. The commander of the District, Colonel Polkovnikov, refused to allow this control and he and his staff were condemned in a Milrevcom public statement as "a direct weapon of the counter-revolutionary forces." Le commandant du district, le colonel Polkovnikov, a refusé d'autoriser ce contrôle et lui et ses collaborateurs ont été condamnés à une Milrevcom déclaration publique comme "une arme directe de la contre- révolutionnaire des forces." The military command responded with an ultimatum to the Soviet, which lead to delaying negotiations and meetings over October 23 – October 24 . Le commandement militaire a répondu par un ultimatum à la soviétique, qui conduisent à retarder les négociations et de réunions par rapport à octobre 23 - 24 octobre.

The Bolshevik uprising began on October 24 , as "counter-revolutionary" forces took modest steps to secure the government. Le soulèvement bolchevique a commencé le 24 octobre comme "contre- révolutionnaires" ont pris des mesures modestes pour sécuriser le gouvernement. The Milrevcom sent armed groups to seize the main telegraph offices and lower the bridges across the Neva. Le Milrevcom envoyé des groupes armés à saisir les principaux bureaux de télégraphe et abaisser les ponts à travers la Neva. Over the night of October 24 , the Bolsheviks took control quickly and easily. Au cours de la nuit du 24 octobre, les bolcheviks ont pris le contrôle rapidement et facilement. Milrevcom la proclamation sur la dissolution du gouvernement provisoire russe Milrevcom proclamation about the disbanding of the Russian Provisional Government Milrevcom la proclamation sur la dissolution du gouvernement provisoire russe

An announcement declaring the end of the Provisional Government and the transfer of power to the Petrograd Soviet was issued by the Milrevcom at 1000 hours on October 25 – in fact written by Lenin . Une annonce déclarant la fin du gouvernement provisoire et le transfert du pouvoir à l'Petrograd soviétique a été délivré par le Milrevcom à 1000 heures le 25 octobre - en fait, écrits par Lénine. In the early afternoon an Extraordinary Session of the Petrograd Soviet was convened by Trotsky, to pre-empt the Congress of Soviets. En début d'après-midi, une session extraordinaire du Soviet de Petrograd a été convoquée par Trotsky, pour anticiper le Congrès des Soviets. It was packed with Bolsheviks and Left SR deputies. Elle était remplie de gauche et bolcheviks SR députés.

The Second Congress of Soviets opened that evening in the Assembly Hall in Smolnyi. Le deuxième Congrès des Soviets ouverts le soir, dans la salle de l'Assemblée en Smolnyi. The six hundred or so delegates chose a Presidium of three Mensheviks and twenty-one Bolsheviks and Left SRs. Les six centaine de délégués ont choisi un présidium de trois mencheviks et vingt et un de gauche et bolcheviks RÉ. The Ispolkom rejected the workings of the Congress the following day and called on the Soviets and the army to defend the Revolution. Le Ispolkom rejeté le fonctionnement du Congrès, le lendemain et a appelé les Soviétiques et l'armée pour défendre la Révolution.

In the evening session of October 26 the Congress approved the Decree on Peace , the Decree on Land and the formation of a new government under Lenin - the Council of People's Commissars ( Sovet Narodnykh Komissarov , abbreviated to Sovnarkom ) – until the meeting of the Constituent Assembly. Dans la soirée d'octobre 26, le Congrès a approuvé le décret sur la paix, le décret sur la terre et la formation d'un nouveau gouvernement en vertu de Lénine -, le Conseil des commissaires du peuple (Sovet Narodnykh Komissarov, en abrégé Sovnarkom) - jusqu'à la réunion de la constituante Assemblée. The Petrograd Soviet Ispolkom was dismissed and replaced by a new group of 101 members (62 Bolsheviks) under Lev Borisovich Kamenev . Le Petrograd soviétique Ispolkom a été rejeté et remplacé par un nouveau groupe de 101 membres (62 bolcheviks) sous Lev Borissovitch Kamenev. The Sovnarkom was accountable to the Ispolkom in theory, but the organization was in every aspect powerless. Le Sovnarkom était responsable devant le Ispolkom en théorie, mais l'organisation a été dans tous les aspects impuissants.

The Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, usually called the Petrograd Soviet, was the soviet (workers' council) in Petrograd (Saint Petersburg), Russia established in March 1917 after the February Revolution in March 1917 as the representative body of the city's workers.

The Petrograd Soviet became important during the Russian Revolution leading up to the October Revolution as a rival power center to the Provisional Government.

[modifier] Formation

A workers' soviet had been created in Saint Petersburg in 1905 (the St. Petersburg Soviet). But the main precursor to the 1917 Petrograd Soviet was the Central Workers' Group (Центральная Рабочая Група, Tsentral'naya Rabochaya Grupa), founded in November 1915 by the Mensheviks to sit between workers and the new Central Military-Industrial Committee in Petrograd. The group became increasingly radical as World War I progressed and the economic situation became worse, encouraging street demonstrations and issuing revolutionary proclamations.

On January 27, 1917 (all dates Old Style) the entire leadership of the Central Workers' Group was arrested and taken away to the Peter and Paul Fortress on the orders of Alexander Protopopov, the Minister of the Interior in Imperial Russia. They were freed by a crowd of disaffected soldiers on the morning of February 27, the beginning of the February Revolution, and the chairman declared a meeting to organize and elect a Soviet of Workers' Deputies that day.

That evening between 50 and 300 hundred people attended the meeting at the Tauride Palace. A provisional executive committee (Ispolkom), was chosen with Nikolay Chkheidze as head and mostly Menshevik deputies. (Chkheize was replaced by Irakli Tsereteli in late March). Izvestia was chosen as the official newspaper of the group. The following day, February 28] was the plenary session; elected representatives from factories and the military joined the soviet, and again moderates dominated. Non-representative voting and enthusiasm gave the Soviet almost 3,000 deputies in two weeks, of which the majority were soldiers. The meetings were chaotic, confused and unruly, little more than a stage for speechmakers. The party-based Ispolkom quickly took charge of actual decision-making.

[modifier] Ispolkom

The Ispolkom members came only from political groups, with every socialist party given three seats (agreed March 18). This created an intellectual and radical head to the peasant-, worker-, and soldier-dominated body. The'Ispolkom meetings were more intense and almost as disorderly as the public meetings and often extremely long.

On March 1 the Ispolkom resolved to remain outside any new State Duma. This allowed the group to criticize without responsibility and kept them away from any potential backlash. On March 2 the Soviet received the eight-point program of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma and appointed an oversight committee (nabliudatel'nyi komitet) and issued a decidedly conditional statement of support. Worse, the Soviet undermined the Provisional Government by issuing its own orders, beginning with the seven-article Soviet Order No. 1. The Soviet was not opposed to the war – internal divisions produced a public ambivalence–but was deeply worried about counterrevolutionary moves from the military and was determined to have garrison troops firmly on its side.

[modifier] Power struggle with the Provisional Government

The Petrograd Soviet developed into an alternate source of authority to the Provisional Government under (Prince) George Lvov and later Alexander Kerensky·

This created a situation described as dvoevlastie (dual power) in which the Petrograd Soviet competed for legitimacy with the Provisional Government until the October Revolution.

The Ispolkom often publicly attacked the Provisional Government as bourgeois and boasted of its de facto power over de jure authority (control over post, telegraphs, the press, railroads, food supply, and other infrastructure. A "shadow government" with a Contact Commission (created March 8) to "inform... [the Provisional Government] about the demands of the revolutionary people, to exert pressure on the government to satisfy all these demands, and to exercise uninterrupted control over their implementation." On March 19 the control extended into the military front lines with commissars appointed with Ministry of War support.

The Ispolkom expanded to 19 members on April 8, nine representing the Soldiers' Section and ten the Workers' Section. All members were socialists, the majority Mensheviks or Socialist-Revolutionaries; there was no Bolshevik representation. After the All-Russian Consultation of Soviets, the Petrograd Soviet began adding representatives from other parts of Russia and the front lines, renaming itself the All-Russian Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. The committee became the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (CEC or VTsIK) with over 70 members (but no peasant representatives). The mass meeting of the entire body were tapered off, being reduced from daily in the first weeks to roughly weekly by April.

[modifier] Riots and street protests

Disputes over war aims led to street protests on April 20-21, including military units protesting outside the Mariinsky Palace. The unrest was quickly directed by Bolshevik leaders into what some interpret as a coup attempt. The Ispolkom issued proclaimations to restrain disorder and repeatedly quashed Lavr Kornilov's demands to put troops and artillery on the streets. There were riots in Petrograd, and also Moscow, but anti-Bolshevik and pro-Provisional Government groups soon stopped the agitators.

The riots deeply worried the Provisional Government. There were a number of resignations and on May 1 the Ispolkom voted to allow its members to take Cabinet posts in return for further concessions (the Bolsheviks and the left Menshevik followers of Julius Martov opposed the move and were against any cooperation with the Provisional Government). After negotiations a new cabinet was chosen on May 6. Alexander Guchkov and Pavel Milyukov, the leader of the Constitutional Democrats (Cadets), left the government. Alexander Kerensky was moved to the Ministry of War. Six socialists took cabinet posts.

[modifier] Rise of the Bolsheviks

The Bolsheviks rapidly assumed the mantle of the official opposition and took advantage of the new socialist presence in the Cabinet to attack them for the failures of the Provisional Government. The Bolsheviks began a strong run of propaganda. In June 100,000 copies of Pravda (including Soldatskaya Pravda, Golos Pravdy, and Okopnaya Pravda) were printed daily. In July over 350,000 leaflets were distributed. The July Days riots from July 3-5 led by the Bolsheviks were without success.

The rise of Kerensky, and the later shock of the Kornilov affair, polarized the political scene. The Petrograd Soviet moved steadily leftwards just as those of the center and right consolidated around Kerensky. Despite the events in July the Ispolkom moved to protect the Bolsheviks from serious consequences, adopting resolutions on August 4 and August 18 against the arrest and prosecution of Bolsheviks. Still leery of the Ispolkom the government released many senior Bolsheviks on bail or promise of good behavior.

In the August 20 municipal elections the Bolsheviks took a third of the votes, a 50 percent increase in three months. There was also a general falling away in the attendance of soviet meetings. Indeed, many of the smaller soviets no longer existed except on paper.

During the Kornilov affair the Ispolkom was forced to use the Bolsheviks' military as its main force against the "counter-revolution." Kerensky ordered the distribution of 40,000 rifles to the workers of Petrograd (some Red Guards), many of which ended in the hands of Bolshevik groups.

As other socialist parties abandoned the Soviet organizations, the Bolsheviks increased their presence. On September 25 they gained a majority in the Workers' Section and Leon Trotsky was elected chairman. He directed the transformation of the Soviet into an adjunct of the party, bypassing the Menshevik-SR Ispolkom and non-Bolshevik soviets to form a new Bolshevik control structure.

The Bolsheviks used their power in the Petrograd Soviet to set-up a second All-Russian Congress of Soviets on October 20 (agreed September 26), despite only eight of 169 soldiers' or workers' soviets expressing support. With the November elections to the Constituent Assembly looming the Bolsheviks had to use their power quickly to discredit the elections. The Ispolkom denounced the Congress and the steps the Bolsheviks were taking to create its delegates. Suddenly and without reason, on October 17, the Ispolkom Bureau approved the Congress.

[modifier] German advance and Committee of Revolutionary Defense

On October 6, with a German advance threatening the city, the government - after advice from the military – made plans to evacuate to Moscow. The Ispolkom attacked the move and Trotsky had the still-Menshevik Soldiers' Section vote on a resolution condemning the evacuation. The Provisional Government gave way and delayed any evacuation plans indefinitely. Its attempts to dispatch Petrograd garrison units to the front were resisted by the troops and by the Ispolkom.

On October 9 the Soviet considered the creation of a Committee of Revolutionary Defence. The Bolsheviks and Leon Trotsky amended the resolution to create a Military Defence Committee, to control the security of Petrograd against both German and domestic threats. The Plenum of the Soviet voted in favour of a committee to "gather... all the forces participating in the defence of Petrograd... to arm the workers... ensuring the revolutionary defence of Petrograd... against the... military and civilian Kornilovites."

The Ispolkom approved the resolution, against Menshevik resistance, on October 12 and the measure was formally approved by the Soviet on October 16, despite warnings from the Mensheviks and SRs, creating the Military Revolutionary Committee (Voenno-Revoliutsionnyi Komitet), also called the Milrevcom or Military Committee.

The Military-Revolutionary Committee was chaired by Pavel Evgenyevich Lazimir, with Nikolay Ilyich Podvoysky as his deputy. Basically it was the front for the activities of the Bolshevik's Military Organization. Podvoysky would take official control of the Committee on the day of the uprising, with Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko as secretary. The Ispolkom and the Provisional Government had been cut out of control of the forces in the Petrograd Military District, and without orders the garrison would remain neutral.

The Military Staff was side-lined when the Milrevcom took exclusive control of the garrison troops in the name of the Soldiers' Section of the Soviet on the night of October 21. The commander of the District, Colonel Polkovnikov, refused to allow this control and he and his staff were condemned in a Milrevcom public statement as "a direct weapon of the counter-revolutionary forces." The military command responded with an ultimatum to the Soviet, which lead to delaying negotiations and meetings over October 23–October 24.

The Bolshevik uprising began on October 24, as "counter-revolutionary" forces took modest steps to secure the government. The Milrevcom sent armed groups to seize the main telegraph offices and lower the bridges across the Neva. Over the night of October 24, the Bolsheviks took control quickly and easily.

Milrevcom proclamation about the disbanding of the Russian Provisional Government

An announcement declaring the end of the Provisional Government and the transfer of power to the Petrograd Soviet was issued by the Milrevcom at 1000 hours on October 25 – in fact written by Lenin. In the early afternoon an Extraordinary Session of the Petrograd Soviet was convened by Trotsky, to pre-empt the Congress of Soviets. It was packed with Bolsheviks and Left SR deputies.

The Second Congress of Soviets opened that evening in the Assembly Hall in Smolnyi. The six hundred or so delegates chose a Presidium of three Mensheviks and twenty-one Bolsheviks and Left SRs. The Ispolkom rejected the workings of the Congress the following day and called on the Soviets and the army to defend the Revolution.