THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION AND THE SOVIET STATE 1917-1921 STUDIES IN RUSSIA AND EAST EUROPE formerly Studies in Russian and East European History Chairman of the Editorial Board: M.A. Branch, Director, School of Slavonic and East European Studies This series includes books on general, political, historical, economic, social and cultural themes relating to Russia and East Europe written or edited by members of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies in the University of London, or by authors wor\ling in a~~oc\at\on '»\\\\ the School. Titles already published are listed below. Further titles are in preparation. Phyllis Auty and Richard Clogg (editors) BRITISH POLICY TOWARDS WARTIME RESISTANCE IN YUGOSLAVIA AND GREECE Elisabeth Barker BRITISH POLICY IN SOUTH·EAST EUROPE IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR Richard Clogg (editor) THE MOVEMENT FOR GREEK INDEPENDENCE, 1770-1821: A COLLECTION OF DOCUMENTS Olga Crisp STUDIES IN THE RUSSIAN ECONOMY BEFORE 1914 D. G. Kirby (editor) FINLAND AND RUSSIA, 1808-1920: DOCUMENTS Martin McCauley THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION AND THE SOVIET STATE, 1917-1921: DOCUMENTS (editor) KHRUSHCHEV AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOVIET AGRICULTURE COMMUNIST POWER IN EUROPE 1944-1949 (editor) MARXISM-LENINISM IN THE GERMAN DEMOCRATRIC REPUBLIC: THE SOCIALIST UNITY PARTY (SED) THE GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC SINCE 1945 Evan Mawdsley THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION AND THE BALTIC FLEET The School of Slavonic and East European Studies was founded in 1915 at King's College. Among the first members of staff was Profcs.mr T. G. Masaryk. later President of the Czechoslovak Republic, who delivered the opening lecture in October 1915 on The problems of small nations in the European crisis'. In 1932 the School ceased to be a department of King's College and was designated one of the constituent self-govPrning institutions of the Universicy of London. In 1939 it moved to its present premises in Senate House. THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION AND THE SOVIET STATE 1917-1921 Documents Selected and edited by MARTIN McCAULEY pal grave in association with the Palgrave Macmillan Selection and editorial matter ©Martin McCauley 1975, 1980 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 33-4 Alfred Place, London WCIE 7DP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First edition 1975 Published by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world Transferred to digital printing 2001 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data The Russian Revolution and the Soviet state. 1917-1921 - I st ed. reprinted with alterations -{Studies in Russian and East European history) I. Russia-History-Revolution, 1917-1921- sources 2. Russia-Politics and govemment- 1917-1936-sources I. McCauley, Martin II. Series 947.084'1'08 DK265.A5/ ISBN 978-0-333-25798-2 ISBN 978-1-349-04362-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-04362-0 For Marta and John Contents. List of Maps xii Preface xiii Acknowledgements xxxiii 1 The Revolution of February 1917 1 1/1 Background Statistics 2 1/2 The Critical Food Situation 7 1/3 Unofficial Meeting of the Members of the State Duma, 27 February 1917 9 1/4 Telegram of 27 February 1917 from Rodzyanko, President of the State Duma, to the Tsar 11 1/5 Telegram of 28 February 1917 from General Alekseev, Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander to all the Commanders in Chief 12 1/6 Nicholas II Abdicates 13 1/7 Grand Duke Mikhail Refuses the Throne 14 1/8 Attitude of the Executive Committee of the Petro- grad Soviet on the Question of Participation in the Provisional Government 16 1/9 The First Provisional Government 18 2 Russia Between Two Revolutions: PoUdcal Aspects of the Period February to October 1917 20 2/1 Order No.1 23 2/2 Soviet Appeal to All the Peoples of the World 24 2/3 Resolution of Support for the Provisional Govern- ment by the All-Russian Conference of Soviets 26 2/4 First Coalition Government of 5 May 1917 27 2/5 The Situation in the Towns, March-May 1917 28 2/6 Soviet Prohibits Demonstrations 29 2/7 The June Offensive 31 viii Contents 2/8 The July Days 32 2/9 The Second Coalition Government of 24 July 1917 34 2/10 David Soskice's Reminiscences 34 2/11 The Kornilov Revolt 37 2/12 Formation ofthe Council ofFive, 1 September 1917 43 2/13 Proclamation of a Republic 44 2/14 The Third Coalition Government of 25 September 1917 45 2/15 Foreign Affairs 45 2/16 The Nationalities 48 2/17 Lenin 50 2/18 Who Instigated the February Revolution? 56 3 Russia Between Two Revoludonsz Economic and Social Aspects of the Period February to October 1917 59 3/1 Working Conditions in Petrograd: The Eight Hour Day, etc. 60 3/2 The Land Question 62 3/3 The Economic Situation 66 3/4 The Fuel Shortage 69 3/5 Agrarian Disorders in European Russia, March- September 1917 71 3/6 Inflation 72 3/7 General Baluev on the Food Supply Situation 73 3/8 Anti-Semitism in Bessarabia 74 4 The October Revolution 112 4/1 Lenin Calls for an Uprising, 12-14 September 1917 113 4/2 Kamenev and Zinoviev Oppose Uprising, 11 October 1917 115 4/3 Trotsky's Speech at a Session of the Petrograd Soviet on the Question of the Military Revolutionary Committee, 16 October 1917 117 4/4 Trotsky's Statement to the Petrograd Soviet 119 4/5 The Military Revolutionary Committee of the Petrograd Soviet Appeals to the People ofPetrograd 121 4/6 Stankevich on the Events of 24 October 1917 122 4/7 The Petrograd Soviet Welcomes the Revolution 124 Conl~rats ix 4/8 The Revolution in the Baltic Fleet 125 4/9 Trotsky After the Event 127 4/10 The Red Guards 132 5 War, Civil War and lnterveadoa 134 Chronology of the Civil War 5/1 German Subventions for the Bolsheviks 138 5/2 Formation of the Red Army 140 5/3 Soviet Troops take Kiev 141 5/4 The Search for Peace 142 5/5 Compulsory Military Training 144 5/6 Fighting at Sviyazhsk 147 5/7 Fighting at Kazan 147 5/8 Trotsky Insists on Stalin's Recall 149 5/9 Ex-Tsarist Officers May Serve in Red Army 150 5/10 Stalin Reports Victories at Tsaritsyn 150 5/11 Order to Red Troops on Southern Front 151 5/12 Lack of Discipline in Perm 153 5/13 The Shooting of Commissar Panteleev 153 5/14 Report on Medical Services 154 5/15 Supply Difficulties 155 5/16 The Situation in Petrograd 156 5/17 Mobilise the Workers! 158 5/18 Trotsky's Resignation Refused 159 5/19 Red Victories in the Urals 160 5/20 Trotsky on Military Discipline 160 5/21 Stalin Complains about Overwork and Lenin Rebukes Him 162 5/22 The Situation in the Ukraine 163 5/23 The War against Poland 164 5/24 Lenin on the Navy 165 5/25 Makhno 165 5/26 Denikin's Proclamation 173 6 Politics m a SodaUst State 176 6/1 A People's Court 178 6/2 Decree on the Judicature 179 6/3 Establishment of the Cheka 181 6/4 Revolutionary Tribunals 182 X Contents 6/5 On the Rights and Duties of Soviets 183 6/6 The Dissolution of the Constituent Assembly 184 6/7 The Red Terror 186 6/8 Murder of the Tsar 189 6/9 Decree on the Press 190 6/10 Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia I 91 6/11 Patriarch Tilmon Anathematises the Bolsheviks 193 6/12 Negotiations with the Germans 195 6/13 Lenin: Miscellaneous 196 6/14 The Party 200 6/15 The Comintern 223 7 The Ec:oaomie aad Soc:ial Revoludoa 229 7/1 Establishment of the Supreme Council of the National Economy 230 7/2 Nationalisation of the Banks 232 7/3 Workers' Control 233 7/4 Annulment of State Loans 235 7/5 Trade Unionists Criticise the Government 236 1/6 Martial Law in Ural Coal Mines 237 1/1 Use of the Army for Economic Purposes 238 7/8 Consumers' Co-operatives 239 7/9 Trade Concessions 241 7/10 The Land 241 7/11 Grain Requisition 24 7 7/12 Local Difficulties 251 7/13 Lenin and Vladimirov on the Food Situation 252 7/14 Bread Prices in Petrograd 254 7/15 Tomsky on Labour Shortage 254 7/16 Stalin on NEP 255 7/17 The New Calendar 255 7/18 The Economy in 1913 and in 1921 257 8 ~ture 258 8/1 Malevich 258 8/2 El Lissitzky 263 8/3 Lenin on Proletarian Culture 268 8/4 The Proletcult Theatre 270 8/5 Lenin on Youth 272 Contents xi 9 The Eye Witness 276 9/1 Conditions in Petrograd 276 9/2 Everyday Life in Petrograd 279 9/3 The Constituent Assembly 280 9/4 Lenin: A Pen Portrait 282 10 The Verdict 284 10/1 Rosa Luxemburg 284 10/2 Leon Trotsky 289 10/3 Lenin 291 Appendix I 301 Appendix II 303 Recommended Reading 311 lntlex 313 List of Maps These maps are taken from Russian History Atlas by Martin Gilbert (London 1972), pp.