Isabella Carter
The All Russian Constituent Assembly was disbanded in January 1918 after meeting for 13 hours, from 4 p.m. on January 18 to 5 a.m. on January 19, 1918. The assembly was disbanded by the Bolshevik government, which proceeded to rule Russia as a one-party state. The Bolsheviks justified their actions by pointing out that the election did not account for the split in the SR Party and that the assembly was a remnant of the old order. The assembly was dominated by the right-wing Socialist-Revolutionaries, who refused to ratify Bolshevik decrees and elected a chairman who was a staunch opponent of Lenin.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Dissolution | January 1918 |
| Reason | Inability to function effectively due to political deadlock |
| Political Deadlock | Caused by the October Revolution and the rise of the Bolsheviks |
| Failure to Achieve | Unable to agree on a constitution or resolve political differences |
| External Factors | Revolutionary pressure and the onset of the Russian Civil War |
| Legacy | The Assembly's dissolution marked a shift towards a one-party Bolshevik rule |
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What You'll Learn
- The Constituent Assembly was dominated by right-wing Socialist-Revolutionaries
- The Assembly refused to endorse Bolshevik decrees
- The Assembly was closed down at gunpoint by Lenin's Red Guards
- The Assembly was barred from the Tauride Palace and faced dangerous conditions
- The Assembly was disbanded as it did not produce a democratically elected government
The Constituent Assembly was dominated by right-wing Socialist-Revolutionaries
The Constituent Assembly was an elected body organised by the Provisional Government to establish a new government and write a new constitution outlining how Russia would be governed following the collapse of the tsarist regime. The Bolsheviks allowed elections for the Constituent Assembly to proceed in November 1917, but the results were not in their favour. The Socialist Revolutionaries (SRs) gained 57%-58% of the vote, translating to 370 out of 715 seats.
The Constituent Assembly came together on 5 January 1918, despite Bolshevik agitation and sizeable protests outside the Tauride Palace. The assembly's first proceedings were dominated by the right-wing of the Socialist-Revolutionaries. They elected a chairman, moderate SR leader Victor Chernov, a staunch opponent of Lenin and his followers. The assembly also considered whether to ratify the Soviet decrees on peace and land, but it refused to endorse these decrees, opting to replace them with SR policies instead. In response, Bolshevik and Left SR deputies walked out of the assembly.
The Constituent Assembly sat for just one day before Lenin's Red Guards dissolved it on his orders. Lenin had previously condemned the assembly as unrepresentative and counter-revolutionary and threatened to dissolve it. The disbandment of the Constituent Assembly allowed the Bolsheviks to rule Russia as a one-party state, with all opposition parties outlawed.
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The Assembly refused to endorse Bolshevik decrees
The Constituent Assembly, a democratic legislature representing all Russians, was elected in late 1917 and met for one day in January 1918. The Assembly was dominated by anti-Bolshevik Right SRs and their leader Victor Chernov was elected Chairman of the Assembly with 244 votes against 153 for Maria Spiridonova of the Left SRs.
The Assembly's first actions were to elect an SR chairman and refuse ratification for earlier Bolshevik decrees. The Assembly refused to endorse the Bolshevik decrees on peace and land, opting to replace them with SR policies instead. The Bolshevik decrees included measures for Russia's withdrawal from the First World War, the division of rural land among peasants, and workers' rights such as minimum wage and limitations on working hours. The Bolsheviks wanted to secure popular support through these decrees, but historians have debated their motives, with some arguing that the decrees were opportunistic.
The refusal of the Assembly to endorse the Bolshevik decrees was a clear indication that it was opposed to the Soviet government and would not agree to new elections. This led to a decision by the Bolsheviks and Left SRs to dissolve the Assembly. The Bolsheviks argued that the Soviets, or workers' councils, were a more advanced democratic representation of the Russian people. The Constituent Assembly was closed down on Lenin's orders, with his Red Guards using force to disband the Assembly.
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The Assembly was closed down at gunpoint by Lenin's Red Guards
The All-Russian Constituent Assembly was formed in January 1918, after the February Revolution of 1917, to write a constitution and form a government for post-revolutionary Russia. The Assembly was convened in Petrograd (St. Petersburg) and was dominated by the Socialist-Revolutionaries, who won a majority of the seats.
The Constituent Assembly was disbanded because it was not in favour of the Bolsheviks, who had seized power in the October Revolution. Lenin was cautious about the "constitutional illusions" of the assembly and warned that an elected parliament could lead to a liberal-bourgeois counter-revolution. The Bolsheviks and their allies had a majority in the Soviets, and justified the closure of the Assembly by pointing to the different electoral system that had led to their loss.
The Assembly refused to endorse the Bolshevik decrees on land, peace, and workers' rights, and a statement that gave all power to the Soviets. Instead, they elected a chairman, Victor Chernov, a staunch opponent of Lenin, and replaced Bolshevik decrees with SR policies. The Assembly sat for just one day before Lenin's Red Guards forcibly dissolved it at gunpoint, on his orders.
The closure of the Assembly by the Bolsheviks led to them ruling Russia as a one-party state, with all opposition parties outlawed. This action was cited by Fanny Kaplan, who attempted to assassinate Lenin in 1918, as an example of the Bolsheviks' growing authoritarianism.
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The Assembly was barred from the Tauride Palace and faced dangerous conditions
The Constitutional Assembly was formed in January 1918, after the Bolshevik victory in the Russian Civil War. It was an elected body tasked with establishing a new government and writing a new constitution for Russia after the collapse of the tsarist regime.
The Assembly was dominated by the right-wing of the Socialist-Revolutionaries, who elected a chairman, Victor Chernov, a staunch opponent of Lenin and the Bolsheviks. The Assembly refused to endorse the Bolshevik decrees on peace and land, and instead opted to replace them with SR policies. This was a significant challenge to the Bolshevik government, which had already expressed caution about the "constitutional illusions" of the Assembly.
The Assembly was barred from the Tauride Palace, where it had initially convened, and its deputies were forced to meet at the Gurevich High School, where they held secret meetings. However, they found that the conditions were increasingly dangerous, and some tried to relocate to Kiev. On January 15, 1918, the Rada forces abandoned Kiev, effectively terminating the Assembly as a cohesive body.
The Socialist Revolutionary Central Committee met and decided against armed resistance, opting instead to work within the Soviet system. This marked the end of the Constitutional Assembly as a cohesive force, and it was disbanded shortly thereafter. Lenin closed the Assembly with the Red Guard, at gunpoint, after it had sat for just one day.
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The Assembly was disbanded as it did not produce a democratically elected government
The All Russian Constituent Assembly was convened in Russia after the February 1917 Revolution. It was formed to write a constitution and establish a new government after the collapse of the tsarist regime.
Lenin and the Bolsheviks were cautious about the "constitutional illusions" of the assembly, fearing that an elected parliament could lead to a liberal-bourgeois counter-revolution. They argued that the election did not consider the split in the SR Party and that the Soviets, where they held control, more accurately reflected the public will.
The Constituent Assembly was forcibly shut down by Lenin's Red Guards at gunpoint on January 6, 1918, just one day after it first convened. The Bolsheviks proceeded to rule Russia as a one-party state, outlawing all opposition parties.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitutional Assembly was disbanded because it was dominated by right-wing Socialist-Revolutionaries, who were opposed to Lenin and his Bolshevik followers. The Assembly refused to endorse the Bolshevik government's decrees on land, peace, and workers' rights, and a statement that gave all power to the Soviets.
The Socialist Revolutionary Party won a majority of the seats, receiving between 57% and 58% of the vote. The Bolsheviks received around 25% of the vote.
The Bolsheviks argued that the election did not produce a valid mandate and that the Soviets, which they controlled, more accurately reflected the public will. They also justified the closing down of the Assembly by pointing out that the election did not take into account the split in the SR Party.
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