Russian Republic

Russian Republic
(1917–1918)
Российская Республика
Russian Democratic Federal
Republic
(1918)
Российская Демократическая Федеративная Республика
1917–1918
Anthem: Рабочая Марсельеза
Rabochaya Marsel'yeza
"Worker's Marseillaise"
Гимн Свободной России
Gimn Svobodnoy Rossii
"Anthem of Free Russia" (Unofficial)
Government Seal:
Under control shortly before the Russian Revolution
Under control shortly before the Russian Revolution
Capital
and largest city
Petrograd
Common languagesRussian
Demonym(s)Russian
GovernmentFederal republic under a provisional government
Minister-Chairman 
• September–November 1917
Alexander Kerensky
• 1917–1918
none
Chairman of the Constituent Assembly
 
• 18–19 January 1918
Viktor Chernov
LegislatureProvisional Council (1917)
none (1917–1918)
Constituent Assembly (1918)
Historical eraWorld War I / Russian
Revolution
8–16 March 1917
• Republic proclaimed
14 September 1917
7 November 1917
25 November 1917
• Constitution adopted
18 January 1918
• Constituent Assembly
dissolved
19 January 1918
CurrencyRuble
Preceded by Succeeded by
Russian Empire
Russian Provisional Government
1917:
Bolshevik Russia
South Russia
Transcaucasian Commissariat
Turkestan
Finland
Alash Autonomy
Crimea
Moldavia
Buryat-Mongolia
1918:
Siberia
Ukraine
Estonia
Yakutia
Idel-Ural
Altai
Belarus
Green Ukraine
Northern Caucasus
Northwest Russia
Latvia
Lithuania

The Russian Republic, referred to as the Russian Democratic Federal Republic in the 1918 Constitution, was a short-lived state which controlled, de jure, the territory of the former Russian Empire after its proclamation by the Russian Provisional Government on 1 September (14 September, N.S.Tooltip New Style) 1917 in a decree signed by Alexander Kerensky as Minister-Chairman and Alexander Zarudny as Minister of Justice.

The Government of the Russian Republic was dissolved after the Bolsheviks seized power by force on 7 November 1917. Nonetheless, a partially democratic election of the Constituent Assembly still took place later in November. On 18 January 1918, this assembly issued a decree, proclaiming Russia a democratic federal republic, but had also been dissolved by the Bolsheviks on the next day after the proclamation.

The Bolsheviks also used the name "Russian Republic" until the official name "Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic" was adopted in the Constitution of July 1918. The term is sometimes used erroneously for the period between the abdication of the Emperor Nicholas II on 3 March 1917 (16 March, N.S.) and the declaration of the Republic in September. However, during that period the future status of the monarchy remained unresolved.[citation needed]

History

Following the February Revolution, Emperor Nicholas II abdicated his throne and a Provisional Government was formed, under the leadership of Prince Georgy Lvov. The status of the monarchy was left unresolved.

Officially, the Republic's government was the Provisional Government, although de facto control of the country was contested between it, the soviets (chiefly the Petrograd Soviet), and various ethnic-based separatists (such as the Central Council of Ukraine). Soviets were political organizations of the proletariat, strongest in industrial regions, and were dominated by left-wing parties. Soviets, whose influence was supplemented with paramilitary forces, were occasionally able to rival the Provisional Government which had an ineffective state apparatus.

During his first weeks as prime minister, Lvov presided over a series of fleeting reforms which sought to radically liberalise Russia. Universal adult suffrage was introduced, freedoms of press and speech were granted, capital punishment abolished, and all legal restrictions of religion, class and race were removed. Unable to rally sufficient support, he resigned in July 1917 in favour of his Minister of War, Alexander Kerensky.

The Government's control of the military was tenuous. Seamen of the Baltic Fleet, for example, had far-left views and openly engaged in political activism in the capital. Right-wing proclivities among the army officers were also a problem – Kerensky's attempt to dismiss Gen. Lavr Kornilov led to a failed coup.

Following the failure of Kornilov's coup, Kerensky proclaimed Russia to be a Republic on 1 September, establishing a Provisional Council as temporary parliament, in preparation to the elections of a Constituent Assembly. However, on 7 November 1917, the Bolsheviks seized power and dissolved both the Provisional Government and the Provisional Council.

Nonetheless, a partially democratic election of the Constituent Assembly still took place later in November. On 18 January 1918, this assembly issued a decree, proclaiming Russia a democratic federal republic under the name "Russian Democratic Federative Republic", However, the next day the Assembly was dissolved by the Bolsheviks.

The Republic de jure continued to exist until the Bolsheviks proclaimed the creation of the Russian Soviet Republic on 25 January 1918. In response, anti-Bolshevik forces proclaimed the Russian State in September 1918, under the leadership of the Provisional All-Russian Government.

Principal institutions

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-09-21 14:50 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari