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The Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets (russian: Украинская Народная Республика Советов, translit=Ukrainskaya Narodnaya Respublika Sovjetov) was a short-lived (1917–1918) Soviet republic of the
Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
that was created by the declaration of the Kharkiv All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets "About the self-determination of Ukraine" on in the Noble Assembly building in
Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.
. Headed by the
Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Government of Ukraine The Provisional Workers-Peasants Government of Ukraine (russian: Временное рабоче-крестьянское правительство Украины, uk, Тимчасовий Робітничо-Селянський Уряд Укра ...
formed earlier in
Kursk Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...
. The republic was later united into the
Ukrainian Soviet Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Republic (russian: Украинская Советская Республика, translit= Ukrainskaya Sovetskaya Respublika) was one of the earlier Soviet Ukrainian quasi-state formations (Ukrainian People's Republic of S ...
and, eventually, liquidated, because of a cessation of support from the government of the
Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
when the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (also known as the Treaty of Brest in Russia) was a separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Russia and the Central Powers ( Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire), that ended Russi ...
was signed.


History


Preparation of the All-Ukrainian congress of Soviets in Kyiv

The idea to call for an All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets was put forward by the Bolshevik faction within the executive committee of the Kyiv Council of workers' deputies during the united session of the executive committees of the councils (soviets) of workers' and soldiers' deputies of Kyiv city on , soon after the Kyiv Bolshevik Uprising had failed to establish Soviet power in the city. The united session of the councils adopted the Bolshevik resolution concerning the Congress on (the next day). On the same resolution was adopted by the Kharkiv council of workers' and soldiers' deputies, also as a result of the Bolshevik proposal. The proposition that was put forward by the Kyiv Bolsheviks supported the
Central Committee Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party organizations, the ...
of the
Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (bolsheviks) "Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first)Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...
and the government of
Soviet Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
. On , talks took place between
Sergei Bakinsky Sergei Segeyevich Bakinsky (russian: Серге́й Серге́евич Бакинский) was a Bolshevik politician, revolutionary, the first People's Commissar of Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets on nationalities. Biography Bakinsky ...
(real name – Ludwig Bernheim) representing the Kyiv Bolsheviks,
Mykola Porsh Mykola Volodymyrovych Porsh ( uk, Микола Володимирович Порш) was a political and civil activist of Ukraine, economist, member of the Russian Constituent Assembly. He was a prominent activist of the Revolutionary Ukrainian ...
representing the
Central Council of Ukraine The Central Council of Ukraine ( uk, Українська Центральна Рада, ) (also called the Tsentralna Rada or the Central Rada) was the All-Ukrainian council (soviet) that united deputies of soldiers, workers, and peasants deputie ...
, and
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet Union, Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as Ge ...
(real name – Iosib Dzhugashvili), the newly appointed () Russian People's Commissar on National Affairs. Stalin, at the behest of the
government of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Council of People's Commissars of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was the government of Soviet Russia in 1917–1946. It was established by the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers', Soldiers', and Peasants' Deput ...
, immediately recommended that action should be taken to assemble such a congress. He also insisted that power should not remain with the
Central Council of Ukraine The Central Council of Ukraine ( uk, Українська Центральна Рада, ) (also called the Tsentralna Rada or the Central Rada) was the All-Ukrainian council (soviet) that united deputies of soldiers, workers, and peasants deputie ...
but should instead be transferred to the regional congress of Councils (
Soviets Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union. Nationality policy in ...
) and to local councils (soviets). As a result of the proposition put forward by the Bolsheviks, the preparation for the assembly of the All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets was undertaken by the regional executive committee of councils of workers', peasants, and soldiers' deputies of the
Southwestern Krai Southwestern Krai (russian: Юго-западный край, Yugo-zapadny kray), also known as Kiev General Governorate or Kiev, Podolia, and Volhynia General Governorate ( rus, Киевское, Подольское и Волынское г ...
that was created in the spring of 1917 in Kyiv. On the regional executive committee adopted a declaration about the assembly of an All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets on in Kyiv. An organizational bureau was created and this developed a system of representation on the assumption that around 500 people would attend the Congress. Representatives of all the councils of workers', peasants', and soldiers' deputies from guberniyas, counties, and cities should have participated in the Congress, including ones that were under influence of Ukrainian parties. However, the representational system gave a great advantage to delegates from the councils of the industrial regions and the big cities where Bolsheviks had the biggest influence. In contrast, the peasants' representation was so limited that it was going to be even smaller than in the Fourth
State Duma The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper hous ...
under Tsarist rule.


Ukrainian Constituent Assembly

The
Central Council of Ukraine The Central Council of Ukraine ( uk, Українська Центральна Рада, ) (also called the Tsentralna Rada or the Central Rada) was the All-Ukrainian council (soviet) that united deputies of soldiers, workers, and peasants deputie ...
had already passed a bill concerning elections to the Ukrainian Constituent Assembly, but over two weeks later, on , the
Russian Provisional Government The Russian Provisional Government ( rus, Временное правительство России, Vremennoye pravitel'stvo Rossii) was a provisional government of the Russian Republic, announced two days before and established immediately ...
accused the
General Secretariat of Ukraine The General Secretariat of Ukraine ( uk, Генеральний секретаріат УЦР—УНР) was the autonomous Ukrainian executive government of the Russian Republic from June 28, 1917 to January 22, 1918. For most of its existence ...
of separatism and threatened to take the matter to court. The government of Ukraine proposed sending a delegation to settle the disagreement but the Petrograd events of 7–8 November 1917 changed their plans. On 20 November 1917 the
Central Council of Ukraine The Central Council of Ukraine ( uk, Українська Центральна Рада, ) (also called the Tsentralna Rada or the Central Rada) was the All-Ukrainian council (soviet) that united deputies of soldiers, workers, and peasants deputie ...
issued its Third (Universal) Decree in which it announced the date for the convening of the
Ukrainian Constituent Assembly The Ukrainian Constituent Assembly ( uk, Українські Установчі Збори) was a planned All-National Congress which was supposed to confirm the Constitution of the Ukrainian People's Republic and establish a new political syst ...
as 9 January 1918. On 29 November 1917, the Central Council finally adopted the Law "about elections to the Constituent Assembly of Ukrainian People's Republic".


December events, the congress and Soviet ultimatum

In order to activate the Bolshevik organizations and increase their control over the councils in Ukraine, the Bolshevik leadership considered it necessary to create an All-Ukrainian Bolshevik center. For this purpose
Grigoriy Zinoviev Grigory Yevseyevich Zinoviev, . Transliterated ''Grigorii Evseevich Zinov'ev'' according to the Library of Congress system. (born Hirsch Apfelbaum, – 25 August 1936), known also under the name Ovsei-Gershon Aronovich Radomyslsky (russian: Ов ...
, a member of the Communist Central Committee arrived in Kyiv along with Semyon Roshal, a Russian government commissar from the Romanian Front. On the
Kyiv Military-Revolutionary Committee Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...
handed an ultimatum to the
Central Council of Ukraine The Central Council of Ukraine ( uk, Українська Центральна Рада, ) (also called the Tsentralna Rada or the Central Rada) was the All-Ukrainian council (soviet) that united deputies of soldiers, workers, and peasants deputie ...
threatening to destroy Kyiv or transfer authority over Ukraine to the Bolsheviks. Simultaneously
Yevgenia Bosch Yevgenia Bogdanovna; russian: Го́тлибовна) Bosch; russian: Евге́ния Богда́новна Бош; german: Jewgenija Bogdanowna Bosch (née Meisch ; – 5 January 1925) was a Ukrainian Bolshevik revolutionary, politician, ...
managed to direct the 2nd Guard Corps of the 7th Army from the Romanian Front to Kyiv in support of another Bolshevik uprising. This uprising was preemptively put down with almost no bloodshed due to the efforts of Yuriy Kapkan, the Kyiv commandant, and
Pavlo Skoropadsky Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadskyi ( uk, Павло Петрович Скоропадський, Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadskyi; – 26 April 1945) was a Ukrainian aristocrat, military and state leader, decorated Imperial Russian Army and Ukrainian Arm ...
, the General of the 1st Ukrainian Corps. On a regional congress of Bolsheviks in Ukraine took place in Kyiv. The congress decided to create a single party for Ukraine and call it "RSDLP(b) – Social-democracy of Ukraine" (russian: link=no, РСДРП(б) – Социал-демократия Украины). The party elected a Chief Committee that consisted of Aussem, Shakhrai, Lapchinsky, Bosch, Zatonsky, Aleksandrov, Kulik, Grinevich, Gorvits and candidates Lyuksemburg, Gamarnik, Galperin, Pyatakov. On the All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets was begun in the Merchant's Assembly building in Kyiv. After the Bolsheviks realized that they would not gain a majority in the Congress, they demanded that the gathering was not recognized as a congress, but rather as a meeting. When their proposal was rejected, the 127 Bolsheviks left the Congress. On the same day () the government of Soviet Russia sent an ultimatum to the Central Council signed by
Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...
and
Lev Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian M ...
giving the Ukrainian side 48 hours to respond. The next day the government of Russia, without waiting for an answer, declared that it considered the Central Council of Ukraine its enemy and appointed
Vladimir Antonov-Ovseyenko Vladimir Alexandrovich Antonov-Ovseenko (russian: Влади́мир Алекса́ндрович Анто́нов-Овсе́енко; ua, Володимир Антонов-Овсєєнко; 9 March 1883 – 10 February 1938), real surna ...
as the commander of the Soviet
Red Guards Red Guards () were a mass student-led paramilitary social movement mobilized and guided by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 through 1967, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a Red Guard lead ...
. On the 124 delegates that left the All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets gathered in a special meeting in the Kyiv Central Bureau of Trade Unions and adopted a resolution about the relentless struggle with the Central Council, about the immediate election of the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee of Soviets and about moving to
Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.
to carry out the Congress there. On the
Central Council of Ukraine The Central Council of Ukraine ( uk, Українська Центральна Рада, ) (also called the Tsentralna Rada or the Central Rada) was the All-Ukrainian council (soviet) that united deputies of soldiers, workers, and peasants deputie ...
sent an answer to the Soviet ultimatum signed by
Volodymyr Vynnychenko Volodymyr Kyrylovych Vynnychenko ( ua, Володимир Кирилович Винниченко, – March 6, 1951) was a Ukrainian statesman, political activist, writer, playwright, artist, who served as the first Prime Minister of Ukraine. ...
and
Symon Petlyura Symon Vasylyovych Petliura ( uk, Си́мон Васи́льович Петлю́ра; – May 25, 1926) was a Ukrainian politician and journalist. He became the Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian Army and the President of the Ukrainian People' ...
, rejecting it. The next day the Red Guards led by Antonov-Ovsiyenko invaded
Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.
, completely taking over the city on and starting the
Ukrainian–Soviet War The Ukrainian–Soviet War ( uk, радянсько-українська війна, translit=radiansko-ukrainska viina) was an armed conflict from 1917 to 1921 between the Ukrainian People's Republic and the Bolsheviks (Soviet Ukraine and S ...
. Ovsiyenko's Army was supported by
Cheka The All-Russian Extraordinary Commission ( rus, Всероссийская чрезвычайная комиссия, r=Vserossiyskaya chrezvychaynaya komissiya, p=fsʲɪrɐˈsʲijskəjə tɕrʲɪzvɨˈtɕæjnəjə kɐˈmʲisʲɪjə), abbreviated ...
military formations led by Mikhail Rozen. On the same day () the first stage of the
treaty of Brest-Litovsk The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (also known as the Treaty of Brest in Russia) was a separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Russia and the Central Powers ( Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire), that ended Russi ...
negotiations began, although its signing would take over two months. The decline of Russian moderate socialists after the October Revolution drove more supporters towards the Ukrainian nationalist parties. The Bolshevik Ukrainians reassembled in Kharkiv (where there was little support for Ukrainian nationalism) and on declared themselves as the government of all Ukraine. Local Bolsheviks in Odessa and Ekaterinoslav revolted and took over their cities.


Establishment of the Soviet government

After Kharkiv had been taken by the Red Guards for two days, the other All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets finally took place. The session opened in the Noble Assembly building. On , the Congress declared the creation of the Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets and established as its governing body the
Central Executive Committee of Ukraine All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee ( uk, italic=yes, Всеукраїнський центральний виконавчий комітет) was a representative body of the All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets. It was the supreme legislative ...
(CVK of Soviet Ukraine). On the first session of the CVK of Soviet Ukraine took place, electing its presidium and commissions.
Yukhym Medvedev Yukhym Hryhorovych Medvedev ( uk, Юхим Григорович Медведєв, russian: Ефим Григорьевич Медведев) (1 April 1886 – 7 June 1938) was a Ukrainian Soviet politician and the first elected chairman of the So ...
of the
Ukrainian Social Democratic Labour Party The Ukrainian Social Democratic Labour Party ( uk, Украї́нська соціа́л-демократи́чна робітни́ча па́ртія, ''Ukrayínsʹka sotsiál-demokratýchna robitnýcha pártiya''), also known as Esdeky and SDP ...
was elected as the chairman of the CVK. On the same day, the Soviet government established the
People's Secretariat The People's Secretariat of Ukraine was the executive body of the Provisional Central Executive Committee of Soviets in Ukraine. It was formed in Kharkiv on December 30, 1917 as a form of the Soviet concept of dual power by the Russian and other ...
of Ukraine, an organisation similar to its main rival, the
General Secretariat of Ukraine The General Secretariat of Ukraine ( uk, Генеральний секретаріат УЦР—УНР) was the autonomous Ukrainian executive government of the Russian Republic from June 28, 1917 to January 22, 1918. For most of its existence ...
. Additionally, a telegram was telegraphed to the Russian Sovnarkom concerning the establishment of Soviet power in Ukraine.


Government


Legislation


Executive

Government functions were handed to the
People's Secretariat The People's Secretariat of Ukraine was the executive body of the Provisional Central Executive Committee of Soviets in Ukraine. It was formed in Kharkiv on December 30, 1917 as a form of the Soviet concept of dual power by the Russian and other ...
of Ukraine (a combination of a People's Commissariat and a General Secretariat). The government consisted of 13 secretariats that corresponded to ministries and were headed by People's Secretaries. The government's first composition was adopted by the CVK on ( according to "Handbook of History of Ukraine").People's Secretariat in the Handbook of History of Ukraine
/ref> Vasiliy Shakhrai, who left to participate in the Brest-Litovsk peace talks, was replaced by the Ukrainian Bolshevik Yuriy Kotsyubynsky. On he was appointed Commander in Chief of the armed forces of the republic.


References


Further reading


External links


Kalinichenko, V.V., Rybalka, I.K. "The First All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets". History of Ukraine, a textbook for historic departments. Kharkiv National University of Karazin. Kharkiv 2004.Creation of the first Soviet Ukrainian ArmyEstablishment of the Soviet power in Ukraine
{{Authority control Russian Revolution in Ukraine Communism in Ukraine Early Soviet republics Modern history of Ukraine Subdivisions of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic 1917 in Ukraine 1918 in Ukraine Russian-speaking countries and territories States and territories established in 1917 States and territories disestablished in 1918 1917 establishments in Ukraine 1918 disestablishments in Ukraine Former socialist republics Soviet Union–Ukraine relations