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Council of People's Commissars, 1917 VMUN 2018 Council of People’s Commissars, 1917 CRISIS BACKGROUND GUIDE Vancouver Model United Nations The 17th Annual Session | January 19 - 21, 2018 To my esteemed commissars, commanders, and comrades, Ken Hong Secretary-General For over six centuries, the Russian people have existed in a constant state of oppression with the bourgeoisie refusing to provide the common worker and peasant sufficient resources even the most frugal means of existence. That is, until now. Comrades, just yesterday, our forces captured the Winter Palace from the ineffective and corrupt Provisional Government, and with Callum Shepard it the power to lead our nation into a brighter future. A future in which the means of production Chief of Staff are publicly owned, ushering in a new age of prosperity and splendor. Despite this momentous victory, we cannot rest. Our enemies, the Whites, symbols of the old imperialist regime, are Jerry Jiao plotting, determined to disrupt the smooth transition of Russia’s leadership to her rightful heir: Director-General the worker. Andrew Wei Comrades and commissars, we must conduct ourselves in the fashion which delivered us our Director of Logistics victory yesterday: with careful deliberation and coordinated movements. Have no fear, comrades. We have always stood bravely in the face of adversity; I am confident that this committee has the energy to electrify the nation and shoulder every burden, every disadvantage. As long as we stay steadfast and true on the path of justice, that which gives a voice to the Jadine Ngan oppressed, that which serves the will and necessities of Russia and her great people, we shall USG General Assemblies emerge victorious. Eric Zhang Всего́ хоро́шего, and may the workers of the world unite. USG Specialized Agencies Vladimir Lenin, Dillon Ramlochun USG Conference Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Angelina Zhang USG Delegate Affairs Jerry Xu USG Delegate Affairs Alan Chen USG Finance Meghna Lohia USG IT Position Paper Policy What is a Position Paper? A position paper is a brief overview of a country’s stance on the topics being discussed by a particular committee. Though there is no specific format the position paper must follow, it should include a description of your positions your country holds on the issues on the agenda, relevant actions that your country has taken, and potential solutions that your country would support. At Vancouver Model United Nations, delegates should write a position paper for each of the committee’s topics. Each position paper should not exceed one page, and should all be combined into a single document per delegate. Formatting Position papers should: — Include the name of the delegate, his/her country, and the committee — Be in a standard font (e.g. Times New Roman) with a 12-point font size and 1-inch document margins — Not include illustrations, diagrams, decorations, national symbols, watermarks, or page borders — Include citations and a bibliography, in any format, giving due credit to the sources used in research (not included in the 1-page limit) Due Dates and Submission Procedure Position papers for this committee are mandatory. The submission deadline is January 7th, 2018. Once your position paper is complete, please save the file as your last name, your first name and send it as an attachment in an email, to your committee’s email address, with the subject heading as your last name, your first name — Position Paper. Please do not add any other attachments to the email or write anything else in the body. Both your position papers should be combined into a single PDF or Word document file; position papers submitted in another format will not be accepted. The email address for this committee is [email protected]. Council of People’s Commissars: Russian Civil War .................................................................. 6 Overview .................................................................................................................................................. 6 Timeline ................................................................................................................................................... 7 Historical Background ........................................................................................................................... 8 Initiating Crisis/Possible Solutions ...................................................................................................... 9 Portfolio Overviews.............................................................................................................................. 10 Secretary: Nikolai Gorbunov ......................................................................................................................... 10 Commissar for Agriculture: Vladimir Milyutin ......................................................................................... 10 Commissar of War Affairs: Nikolai Krylenko ............................................................................................. 11 Commissar of Naval Affairs: Pavel Dybenko .............................................................................................. 11 Commissar for Trade and Industry: Viktor Nogin .................................................................................... 11 Commissar for Education: Anatoly Lunacharsky....................................................................................... 11 Commissar for Food: Ivan Teodorovich...................................................................................................... 11 Commissar for Foreign Affairs: Leon Trotsky ............................................................................................ 11 Commissar for Interior Affairs: Alexei Rykov ............................................................................................ 11 Commissar for Justice: Georgy Oppokov .................................................................................................... 11 Commissar for Labour: Alexander Shlyapnikov......................................................................................... 11 Commissar of Nationalities: Joseph Stalin .................................................................................................. 12 Commissar for Posts and Telegraphs: Nikolai Glebov-Avilov ................................................................. 12 Commissar for Finance: Ivan Skvortsov-Stepanov .................................................................................... 12 Commissar for Social Welfare: Alexandra Kollontai ................................................................................. 12 Director of the Cheka: Felix Dzerzhinsky .................................................................................................... 12 Commander of the 5th Army: Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevsky ...................................................... 12 Commander of the Red Latvian Riflemen: Jukums Vacietis ..................................................................... 12 Commander of the Eastern Front: Sergey Sergeyevich Kamenev ............................................................ 12 Commander of the Dungan Cavalry Regiment: Magaza Masanchi ......................................................... 13 Representative of the Communist International ........................................................................................ 13 Representative of the Politburo ..................................................................................................................... 13 Chairperson of the Executive Committee of Moscow ............................................................................... 13 Vancouver Model United Nations 2018 4 Chairperson of the Executive Committee of Petrograd ............................................................................. 13 Discussion Questions ........................................................................................................................... 13 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 14 Vancouver Model United Nations 2018 5 Council of People’s Commissars: Russian Civil War Overview Comrades, welcome to the new Russia. As the advisors, consultants, and ministers of the Chairman who brought about unprecedented revolutionary changes to one of the most powerful nation-states in the world, it will be your responsibility to reforge and rekindle the fires of the once glorious Russian Empire. Under this rapidly changing political landscape, new socio-economic and domestic policies rise, and you must carefully act and defend our interests to ensure the prosperity the newest communist state. Our simulation begins on November 8, 1917, a day after the Great October Socialist Revolution. It is on this same date that our council was formed and the first legitimate power holding institution established since the abdication and assassination of Tsar Nicholas II. We have no official end date—meaning that our pacing will be contingent on the actions of the committee. Should you remain vigilant and productive, it is expected that the end date will be around June of 1923. For the purposes of consistency and clarity, we will be using New Style dates under the Gregorian Calendar. Comrades, bear in mind that the white movement will do everything in their power to ensure our downfall.
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