The Socialist Revolutionary Party

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The Socialist Revolutionary Party oonn microfichemicrofiche ThThee SocialisSocialistt RevolutionarRevolutionaryy PartPartyy SerialSerialss andand MonographsMonographs A microfichmicrofichee collectiocollectionn ooff serialsserials andand monographsmonographs containincontainingg workworkss writtenwritten byby andand aboutabout well-knownwell-known leaderleaderss ooff ththee SocialisSocialistt RevolutionaryRevolutionary PartyParty (SR),(SR), asas wellwell asas publicationspublications dealingdealing withwith thethe partyparty itself.itself. AmongAmong thethe authors,authors, youyou willwill findfind thethe namesnames ofof Chernov,Chernov, Spiridonova,Spiridonova, Gershuni,Gershuni, Savinkov,Savinkov, andand manymany othersothers.. FurthermoreFurthermore,, thithiss collectiocollectionn containcontainss prominenprominentt newspapernewspaperss anandd journals journals publishepublishedd bbyy ththee SSRR iinn RussiRussiaa anandd abroad.abroad. HistorHistoryy ooff ththee SocialisSocialistt RevolutionarRevolutionaryy TheirTheir CombatCombat organizationorganization assassinatedassassinated aass ministeministerr ofof Justice.Justice. SavinkovSavinkov becamebecame PartPartyy a numbernumber ofof importantimportant officials,officials, AssistanAssistantt MinisteMinisterr ooff ththee ArmArmyy inin thethe includingincluding twotwo particularlyparticularly reactionaryreactionary seconsecondd coalitiocoalitionn government,government, a PartiiPartiiaa Socialistov-RevoliutsioneroSocialistov-Revoliutsionerovv (in(in ministersministers ofof thethe interior,interior, SipiaginSipiagin inin remarkablremarkablee carreecarreerr foforr oneone timtimee terroristterrorist RussianRussian,, abbreviateabbreviatedd ttoo `esery')'esery') 19021902 anandd PlevPlevee iinn 1904,1904, andand,, earlearlyy inin whwhoo beenbeen involveinvolvedd inin the the assassination assassination occupieoccupiess a speciaspeciall placplacee inin RussianRussian 1905,1905, GranGrandd DukDukee SergeSerge,, commandincommandingg ooff Pleve.Pleve. SavinkovSavinkov playedplayed alsoalso a centracentrall historyhistory.. TogetheTogetherr witwithh thathatt ofof thethe officerofficer ofof thethe militarymilitary regionregion aroundaround rolrolee iinn ththee KornilofKornilofff affair,affair, whichwhich MenshevikMenshevikss anandd thethe anarchists,anarchists, thisthis MoscowMoscow andand brother-in-lawbrother-in-law ofof TsarTsar maybemaybe moremore thatthat anythinganything elseelse preparedprepared historhistoryy belongbelongss ttoo ththee victimsvictims toto thethe leftleft NicolasNicolas II.II. Meanwhile,Meanwhile, a left-wingleft-wing ththee wawayy foforr thethe Bolsheviks,Bolsheviks, byby ooff ththee BolsheviksBolsheviks.. ThThee SRSR waswas formedformed spin-off,spin-off, ththee MaximalistsMaximalists,, pursuepursuedd a alienatinalienatingg botbothh ththee populatiopopulationn ooff inin 19011901 aass ththee resulresultt ofof thethe unificationunification terroristterrorist campaigncampaign againstagainst ththee statestate eveneven PetrogradPetrograd anandd ththee armarmyy fromfrom ooff variousvarious groupgroupss ofof neo-populistneo-populist moremore intenseintense thanthan thatthat ofof thethe SR.SR. InIn provisionaprovisionall government.government. tendenctendencyy formeformedd iinn thethe 1890s1890s withinwithin 19051905 ththee maimainn partpartyy advocateadvocatedd thethe Russia,Russia, anandd amonamongg expatriatesexpatriates abroad.abroad. formationformation ofof a ConstituentConstituent AssemblyAssembly In its early years it was a small, OverOver oneone milliomillionn membersmembers In its early years it was a small, andand supportedsupported universaluniversal suffrage.suffrage. heterogeneouheterogeneouss party,party, witwithh anan emigreémigré Nevertheless,Nevertheless, itit diddid notnot renouncerenounce leadership and underground A clearclear indicatioindicationn ofof thethe importancimportancee ooff leadership and underground terroristerrorismm aass aa meanmeanss foforr achievinachievingg thesthesee membership in Russia. After 'Bloody thethe SRSR waswas ititss membershimembershipp iinn 1917.1917. IItt isis membership in Russia. After `Bloody goals.goals. ItIt waswas onlyonly whenwhen iitt seemedseemed toto bebe estimatedestimated thathatt oveoverr ononee milliomillionn peoplepeople Sunday'Sunday' ofof thethe firstfirst RussianRussian revolution,revolution, makingmaking headwayheadway inin reachingreaching itsits aimsaims belongedbelonged toto thethe Party.Party. AAtt thethe electionselections 1905-1907,1905-1907, iitt expandeexpandedd intintoo a masmasss that,that, forfor a shortshort periodperiod betweenbetween OctoberOctober ofof thethe ConstituenConstituentt AssemblAssemblyy iinn movement.movement. anandd DecembeDecemberr 1905,1905, thethe partyparty NovemberNovember 1917,1917, thethe SSRR wowonn 444400 ououtt ooff InIn ththee shortshort perioperiodd ofof relativerelative freedomfreedom suspendedsuspended terroristterrorist actions.actions. WheWhenn ththee 700700 deputydeputy seatsseats anandd gainegainedd mormoree thathann betweenbetween 19051905 andand 1907,1907, thethe SRSR TsaristTsarist reformreformss didn'didn'tt meetmeet theirtheir 50% of the popular vote, whereas the exhibited all the characteristics which in 50% of the popular vote, whereas the exhibited all the characteristics which in expectations,expectations, thethe SRSR resumedresumed terroristterrorist BolsheviksBolsheviks electedelected 168168 deputies deputies andand 19171917 drovdrovee iitt intintoo disasterdisaster,, althougalthoughh iitt activitiesactivities andand boycottedboycotted thethe first DumaDuma polledpolled onlyonly 25%25% ofof the the popular popular vote.vote. initiallyinitially camcamee closeclose toto achievingachieving itsits elections.elections. ChernovChernov becamebecame presidentpresident ooff thisthis programme.programme. BeinBeingg a massmass movement,movement, ConstituentConstituent Assembly.Assembly. HoweverHowever,, iinn thethe SRSR waswas nevernever transformedtransformed intointo aa whawhatt cancan bebe consideredconsidered asas thethe secondsecond solidsolid politicapoliticall machine.machine. Rather,Rather, thethe BetweeBetweenn twtwoo revolutionsrevolutions andand definitivdefinitivee BolshevikBolshevik coup,coup, thethe partyparty operateoperatedd undeunderr ththee constanconstantt threathreatt IInn 19171917 thethe PSRPSR playeplayedd aann importanimportantt SovieSoviett governmentgovernment abandonedabandoned ththee ofof divisiondivision becausbecausee itit waswas oftenoften crippledcrippled rolerole inin thethe chaoticchaotic 88 monthsmonths fromfrom thethe ConstituentConstituent AssemblyAssembly onon 5 5 January January byby irresolvableirresolvable internalinternal conflicts.conflicts. InIn FebruaryFebruary revolutiorevolutionn (March(March 88 newnew 19181918.. SincSincee nnoo effectiveffectivee oppositiooppositionn 19061906 aa rightright winwingg groupgroup,, ththee PopulaPopularr calendarcalendar)) ttoo ththee OctobeOctoberr revolutiorevolutionn coulcouldd bebe organizedorganized againstagainst ththee SocialistsSocialists,, dididd indeeindeedd splintesplinterr offoff anandd (Novembe(Novemberr 6 newnew calendar)calendar).. IInn thithiss BolsheviksBolsheviks,, theythey ruledruled alone,alone, albeitalbeit inin a becamebecame ththee advocatesadvocates forfor a moderatemoderate perioperiodd ththee ProvisionaProvisionall governmentgovernment waswas countrycountry tormentedtormented byby civilcivil war.war. policpolicyy ooff cooperatiocooperationn witwithh ththee reformistreformist reorganisereorganisedd 44 timestimes.. ThThee firstfirst FollowingFollowing theirtheir breakbreak withwith thethe TsarisTsaristt regimeregime.. SomSomee followerfollowerss foforr Bolsheviks in March 1918, the Left governmengovernmentt startedstarted witwithh considerableconsiderable Bolsheviks in March 1918, the Left example,example, entereenteredd thethe secondsecond DumaDuma (the(the Socialist Revolutionaries instigated an PSPSRR supporsupportt anandd membershipmembership,, ththee forthforth Socialist Revolutionaries instigated an RussiaRussiann ParliamentParliament)) iinn 1907.1907. abortive uprising in Moscow in July. At endedended witwithh isolatedisolated AlexandeAlexanderr KerenskyKerensky abortive uprising in Moscow in July. At about the same time and partly as a aass ththee onlonlyy PSPSRR membememberr ooff hihiss laslastt responsabout thee tsameo this timeaction and, Bori partlys Savinko as a v TerroTerrorr cabinetcabinet.. ImportanImportantt PSRPSR figurefiguress whwhoo inciteresponsed a rebellio to this action,n in the Boris centr Savinkove of operateoperatedd iinn ththee firstfirst ProvisionaProvisionall Europeaincited an rebellion Russia, capturinin the centreg and ofholding TheThe SRSR resumeresumedd ththee terroristerroristt tactictacticss ooff governmengovernmentt besidesbesides KerenskKerenskyy (then(then European Russia, capturing and holding theitheirr predecessorpredecessorss sucsuchh aass ththee Minister of War) were Chernov as for two weeks the town of Yaroslavl on Minister of War) were Chernov as thfore twoVolga weeks. Thes thee effort towns ofcollapsed Yaroslavl, on "Narodnai"Narodnaiaa voliavolia"" (Will(Will ofof thethe People).People). MinisteMinisterr ofof AgricultureAgriculture and and PereverzevPereverzev the Volga. These efforts collapsed, 14 howeverhowever.. TruTruee ttoo theitheirr traditiontradition,, thethe SRSR slowlslowlyy increasedincreased pressurepressure onon ththee (Zagranichnai(Zagranichnaiaa Organizatsiia),Organizatsiia), whichwhich turnedturned toto terrorism,terrorism,
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