Petrograd Soviet facts for kids

The Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies was a special city council in Petrograd, which was the capital of Russia at that time. It's often called the Petrograd Soviet for short.

This council was created in March 1917, right after the February Revolution. It was meant to represent the workers and soldiers of the city. Even though Petrograd already had a city council, the Petrograd Soviet quickly became a very powerful group. It even tried to have power across the whole country, creating a situation known as Dvoyevlastiye (Dual power). This meant two groups were trying to lead Russia at the same time. The Soviet's committees played a huge role in the Russian Revolution, and some even led the armed uprising during the October Revolution.

How the Petrograd Soviet Was Formed

Before 1914, Petrograd was known as Saint Petersburg. In 1905, a workers' council called the St Petersburg Soviet was formed. The main group that led to the 1917 Petrograd Soviet was the Central Workers' Group. This group was started in November 1915 by the Mensheviks. They aimed to help workers deal with the new Central War Industry Committee in Petrograd.

As World War I continued and the economy got worse, this group became more radical. They encouraged street protests and shared revolutionary messages. On January 27, 1917, the leaders of the Central Workers' Group were arrested. They were taken to the Peter and Paul Fortress.

However, on February 27, the start of the February Revolution, soldiers freed them. The chairman quickly called a meeting to create a Soviet of Workers' Deputies that very day. That evening, many people met at the Tauride Palace. They chose a temporary executive committee, led by Nikolay Chkheidze. Most members were Mensheviks. Later, Irakli Tsereteli took over as chairman. The newspaper Izvestia became their official publication.

The next day, more representatives from factories and the military joined the Soviet. In just two weeks, the Soviet grew to almost 3,000 members, mostly soldiers. The meetings were often noisy and disorganized. So, the executive committee, made up of political parties, quickly took charge of making decisions.

Important Leaders of the Soviet

The Petrograd Soviet had several chairmen during its active years:

• Nikolay Chkheidze: March 12 – September 19, 1917
• Leon Trotsky: September 25 – November 8, 1917
• Grigory Zinoviev: December 13, 1917 – March 26, 1926

The Executive Committee

The executive committee, known as the Ispolkom, was made up of members from different socialist political groups. Each party got three seats. This meant the committee was led by educated and radical thinkers, even though most of the Soviet's members were peasants, workers, and soldiers. The executive committee meetings were often long and intense.

On March 1, the executive committee decided not to join any new government body. This allowed them to criticize the government without being responsible for its actions. On March 2, the Soviet gave conditional support to the new Provisional Government. However, the Soviet also started issuing its own orders, like Order No. 1. This order gave soldiers' committees control over weapons and said soldiers should obey the Soviet first. The Soviet was worried about the military turning against the revolution. They wanted to make sure the soldiers in the city were on their side.

Sharing Power: The Soviet and the Provisional Government

The Petrograd Soviet became a powerful alternative to the Provisional Government. This government was first led by Prince Georgy Lvov and later by Alexander Kerensky. This created the situation of dvoevlastie, or dual power. The Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Government both tried to be seen as the true leaders of Russia. This struggle continued until the October Revolution.

The Ispolkom often criticized the Provisional Government. They said it was too focused on the wealthy class. The Soviet boasted that it had real control over important things like mail, telegraphs, newspapers, railroads, and food supplies. It was like a "shadow government." On March 8, a "Contact Commission" was set up. Its job was to tell the Provisional Government what the people wanted. It also pushed the government to meet these demands and watched to make sure they did. By March 19, the Soviet's influence reached the military front lines.

In March 1917, the Petrograd Soviet faced protests from workers who disagreed with its decisions. The Menshevik newspaper Rabochaia Gazeta even said that the striking workers were making the Soviet look bad by not obeying it.

The Ispolkom grew to 19 members on April 8. Nine members represented the Soldiers' Section. All members were socialists, mostly Mensheviks or Socialist-Revolutionaries. There were no Bolsheviks at this point. After the first All-Russian Congress of Soviets in June/July 1917, the Petrograd Soviet started adding representatives from other parts of Russia. It then changed its name to the All-Russian Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. The executive committee became the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK). Its large meetings, which were daily at first, became about once a week by April.

The Rise of the Bolsheviks

The growing influence of the Bolsheviks throughout 1917 is known as the Bolshevization of soviets. The Bolsheviks quickly became the main opposition group. They used the Provisional Government's failures to criticize the socialist members who had joined the government. The Bolsheviks started a strong campaign of propaganda. By June, they were printing 100,000 copies of Pravda daily. In July, they handed out over 350,000 leaflets. The July Days riots in July, which the Bolsheviks inspired but did not lead, were not successful.

The rise of Kerensky and the later Kornilov affair made the political situation even more divided. The Petrograd Soviet moved further to the left, while other groups supported Kerensky. Even after the July events, the Ispolkom protected the Bolsheviks from serious punishment. They passed resolutions in August against arresting and prosecuting Bolsheviks. Many senior Bolsheviks were released from prison on bail.

In the local elections on August 20, the Bolsheviks won a third of the votes. This was a 50% increase in just three months. During the Kornilov affair, the Ispolkom had to rely on the Bolsheviks' military groups to fight against what they saw as a "counter-revolution." Kerensky even ordered 40,000 rifles to be given to Petrograd workers. Many of these weapons ended up with Bolshevik groups, including the Red Guards.

As other socialist parties left the Soviet organizations, the Bolsheviks gained more power. On September 25, they won a majority in the Workers' Section. Leon Trotsky was then elected chairman. He began to change the Soviet into a revolutionary group, following Bolshevik ideas.

The October Revolution and the Soviet's Role

Milrevcom proclamation about the disbanding of the Russian Provisional Government

On October 6, with German forces threatening Petrograd, the government planned to move to Moscow. The Ispolkom strongly opposed this. Trotsky got the soldiers' section to vote against the evacuation. The Provisional Government then put off the move. Its attempts to send Petrograd soldiers to the front lines were also resisted by the troops and the Ispolkom.

On October 9, the Soviets discussed creating a Committee of Revolutionary Defense. The Bolsheviks and Trotsky changed the plan to include protecting Petrograd from both German and internal threats. The Soviet voted for a committee to "gather all forces" to defend Petrograd. This included arming workers and protecting the city against "counter-revolutionary" forces.

The Ispolkom approved this plan on October 12, despite Menshevik opposition. The Soviet approved it on October 16, creating the Military Revolutionary Committee (Milrevcom). This committee was led by Pavel Lazimir, with Nikolai Podvoisky as his deputy. It secretly helped the Bolsheviks' military plans. Podvoisky took official control of the committee on the day of the uprising. The Ispolkom and the Provisional Government had lost control of most of the military forces in Petrograd.

On the night of October 21, the Milrevcom took full control of the soldiers in the city. The military commander, Colonel Polkovnikov, refused to accept this. The Milrevcom publicly called him a "direct weapon of the counter-revolutionary forces." The military command responded with an ultimatum, leading to talks on October 23 and 24.

The Bolshevik-led uprising began on October 24. "Liberal" forces tried to shut down Pravda and secure the government. The Milrevcom sent armed groups to take over the main telegraph offices and lower the bridges. That night, the Bolsheviks quickly gained control. Most of the guards and workers had sided with them and helped with the Milrevcom's plans.

The next morning, at 10 am, the Milrevcom announced the end of the Provisional Government. They declared that power had been transferred to the Petrograd Soviet. Later that afternoon, Trotsky called a special meeting of the Petrograd Soviet. It was filled with Bolsheviks and Left Socialist-Revolutionary members.

That evening, the Second Congress of Soviets began. About 600 delegates chose a leadership group. It had 3 Mensheviks and 21 Bolsheviks and Left Socialist-Revolutionaries.

The next day, the Ispolkom rejected what the Congress had done. It called on the Soviets and the army to defend the Revolution. But that evening, the Congress removed the Ispolkom. They replaced it with a new group of 101 members, mostly Bolsheviks, led by Lev Borisovich Kamenev. The Congress also approved important new laws, like the Decree on Peace and the Decree on Land. They also formed a new government called the Council of People's Commissars (Sovnarkom). This new government was meant to be in charge until a larger assembly could meet.

See also

In Spanish: Sóviet de Petrogrado para niños