The Constituent Assembly Flashcards
What was the main aim of the Constituent Assembly?
To create a constitution under which Russia would be governed
Whose idea was the Constituent Assembly?
The Provisional Government
Who could vote in elections to the Constituent Assembly?
All men and women over 20, and all servicemen over 18
How many countries had given women the right to vote before Russia?
Five (plus some American states)
When were electoral lists of candidates compiled for the Constituent Assembly elections?
Late September 1917
What were the three key elements of the Bolshevik platform when campaigning in the Constituent Assembly elections?
Immediate peace
Fundamental social revolution
Firm, decisive action against the Kadets
What happened to the SRs during the elections to the Constituent Assembly?
They split - into Left and Right SRs
What two things did the Left SRs campaign for in the elections to the Constituent Assembly?
An end to the war
A broadly-based socialist coalition government (including Bolsheviks, but excluding Trotsky and Lenin)
How well did the Bolsheviks do in the Constituent Assembly elections in Petrograd?
Won 45% of the vote and two-thirds of Petrograd’s electoral districts
How well did the Bolsheviks do in the Constituent Assembly elections amongst the army?
Won half of the vote
Across Russia as a whole, how well did the following parties do in terms of seats won in the Constituent Assembly:
- SRs (left + right)
- Bolsheviks
- Kadets
- Mensheviks
SRs: 410
Bolsheviks: 175
Kadets: 17
Mensheviks: 16
Across Russia as a whole, how well did the following parties do in terms of vote share in the Constituent Assembly elections:
- SRs (left and right)
- Bolsheviks
SRs: 40.9%
Bolsheviks: 23.6%
How did Lenin’s attitude to the Constituent Assembly change after the elections had concluded?
Before: supported the Assembly as a way of weakening the Provisional Government
After: no need for an Assembly with his party in power - it would make life difficult for Sovnarkom
What two key things did Lenin state in his “Theses on the Constituent Assembly”, published on 12 December?
1) The Soviets were more democratic than “a conventional bourgeois republic with a Constituent Assembly”
2) “A majority of the people were unable to grasp the significance of the October, soviet, proletarian-peasant revolution”
What was significant about most of the Bolshevik delegates to the Constituent Assembly?
They were moderates (i.e. not Lenin loyalists)
What happened as a result of popular demonstrations in favour of the Constituent Assembly, held on 28 November?
Several Kadet leaders were arrested
What FIVE things did the Right SRs demand to be passed by the Constituent Assembly?
1) Universal peace “without victors or vanquished”
2) An end to conscription in the army
3) Self-determination for national minorities
4) Equal redistribution of private land to the peasantry
5) State regulation and control of industry
What happened to Lenin on 1 January 1918?
His car was fired upon
Who was blamed for the attack on Lenin’s car on 1 January 1918?
The Right SRs
How many people demonstrated in favour of the Constituent Assembly on 5 January 1918? What sorts of people protested?
10,000 demonstrators
Very liberal - students, civil servants, shopkeepers and professionals
Who DID NOT demonstrate in favour of the Constituent Assembly? Why was this important for the Bolsheviks?
Factory workers and soldiers
Core Bolshevik supporters were not in favour of the Constituent Assembly
Who was elected Chairman of the Constituent Assembly, and by how much of the vote?
Viktor Chernov (Right SR)
244-153
What was the outcome of the vote on the Bolshevik decrees in the Constituent Assembly?
Rejected, 237-136
What happened to the Constituent Assembly at 5am on 6 January 1918?
Dissolved at gunpoint
What happened to the Constituent Assembly on the afternoon of 6 January 1918?
Formally dissolved - accepted by Sovnarkom
How did the Bolshevik intellectual Maxim Gorky respond to the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly?
Compared it to Bloody Sunday (1905) and criticised Lenin as a “cold-blooded trickster”
How did the German socialist Rosa Luxemburg respond to the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly?
Condemned “the elimination of democracy” in Russia
How did the Kadets and Right SRs respond to the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly?
They were outraged but powerless
How did the Left SRs respond to the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly?
Supported it
What was the ultimate significance of the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly? (Two key points)
1) End of the Mensheviks and Right SRs as influential forces in Russia
2) End of any hope of a Western-style democratic political system in Russia
How did most ordinary Russians respond to the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly?
With weary indifference - they would not rally to defend it
