First All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets ( uk, Перший Всеукраїнський з'їзд Рад) was a congress of Soviets (councils) of workers, peasants, Red-army-men deputies that took place in

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.

on December 24-25, 1917.

Overview

On December 21, 1917 the

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 ...

of the

Soviet Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

led by

Vladimir Antonov-Ovseyenko Vladimir Alexandrovich Antonov-Ovseenko (russian: Влади́мир Алекса́ндрович Анто́нов-Овсе́енко; ua, Володимир Антонов-Овсєєнко; 9 March 1883 – 10 February 1938), real surna ...

occupied

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.

. At night on December 22, 1917 the Russian Red Guards with local Bolsheviks disarmed Ukrainian military units and arrested leaders of the Kharkiv City Council and garrison. On December 23, 1917 Bolsheviks established a

revkom {{no footnotes, date=May 2016A revolutionary committee or revkom (russian: Революционный комитет, ревком) were Bolshevik-led organizations in Soviet Russia and other Soviet republics established to serve as provisional gove ...

(revolutionary committee). The headquarters of a local Red Guard was established on December 14, 1917 and was located in the Stock Exchange building at Market Square (today Ploshcha Konstytutsii - Constitution Square). On December 24-25, 1917 in the building of Noble Assembly (Market Square) in Kharkiv took place another First Congress of Soviets. The congress gathered initially 964 participants, amount of which later grew to 1250. The congress reviewed several issues: attitudes towards the Central Council of Ukraine, war and peace as well as about organization of military force, about Ukraine and Soviet Russia, estate and financial issues and others. The congress approved 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 ...

between

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

and

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in W ...

, declared the independence of the Soviet Ukrainian People's Republic as a federative republic of Soviet Russia, Law about socialization of land adopted by the 3rd All-Russian Congress of Soviets, "About state system", decrees on 8-hour work day and labor control, organization of the Workers-Peasant Red Army of Ukraine. The policy of 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 ...

in the resolution "About political moment" was condemned requesting withdrawal of the Austrian and German Armed Forces from Ukraine. Participants elected the new composition of 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 ...

of 102 members headed by Vladimir Zatonsky.

Composition

There were about 200 delegates with ruling vote and six - with consultative. Remarkable majority belonged to Bolsheviks.

Agenda

* "About current moment" (

Fyodor Sergeyev Fyodor Andreyevich Sergeyev (, ; March 19, 1883 – July 24, 1921), better known as Comrade Artyom (), was a Russian Bolshevik revolutionary, Soviet politician, agitator, and journalist. He was a close friend of Sergei Kirov and Joseph Sta ...

) * "Self-determination of Ukraine" * "Self-determination of Donets and Kryvyi Rih basins" * "Organization of power in Ukraine" * "Elections to the Central Executive Committee of Ukraine"

Decisions

* (on current moment) The congress adopted a resolution in which declared about complete support for the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mom ...

and welcomed the policy of Sovnarkom * (self-determination of Ukraine) The congress noted that only the

and the

Soviet government The Government of the Soviet Union ( rus, Прави́тельство СССР, p=prɐˈvʲitʲɪlʲstvə ɛs ɛs ɛs ˈɛr, r=Pravítelstvo SSSR, lang=no), formally the All-Union Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, commonly ab ...

created by it ensured the implementation of the principle of the right of nations on self-determination that the victory of Socialist Revolution and decrees of Sovnarkom will liquidate any forms of national exploitation and inequality in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

. The congress recognized the Ukrainian Republic as a federative part of the

Russian Republic The Russian Republic,. referred to as the Russian Democratic Federal Republic. in the 1918 Constitution, was a short-lived state which controlled, ''de jure'', the territory of the former Russian Empire after its proclamation by the Rus ...

, announced decisive battle against the Central Council's policy disastrous for workers-peasants masses, and uncovered its bourgeois counter-revolutionary nature. The congress declared that will fight for the Ukrainian Workers-Peasant Republic established on a tight solidarity of workers masses of Ukraine with workers masses of all Russia independently of their national belonging. The congress called on all workers and peasants, all Ukrainian people in every way to protect and strengthen brotherly union with workers and peasants of Russia. * (organization of power) The congress solved the fundamental question of

socialist revolution Revolutionary socialism is a political philosophy, doctrine, and tradition within socialism that stresses the idea that a social revolution is necessary to bring about structural changes in society. More specifically, it is the view that revoluti ...

in Ukraine. In its resolution adopted on December 25, 1917 the congress declared establishment of the Soviet power in Ukraine. * (Donets and Kryvyi Rih basins) The congress protested against the criminal imperial policy of Kaledin's and the Ukrainian National Bourgeois counter revolution which tried to divide between each other Donets basin and declared that will seek unity of Donets basin within borders of the Soviet republic. The congress elected 41 members to the Central Executive Committee (CVK), 35 of which were Bolsheviks. Twenty more seats were reserved for peasants deputies that were supposed to elected at an All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviet of peasant deputies. The head of the CVK was elected

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 ...

. The congress also 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 ...

Elected All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee members

Hennadiy Yefimenko.
Ukraine – the Republic of Soviets (Україна — республіка рад)
'. Цей день в історії (www.jnsm.com.ua). To the

were elected Nikolay Skripnik, Vladimir Zatonsky and Emmanuil Luganovsky (Portugeis) who were not elected to the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee. Later to the

were added Yevgeniy Neronovich,

Yuriy Kotsiubynsky Yuriy Mykhailovych Kotsiubynsky ( uk, Юрій Михайлович Коцюбинський) (December 7, 1896 – March 8, 1937) was a Bolshevik politician, activist, member of the Soviet government in Ukraine, one of the co-founders of Re ...

Ivan Klimenko Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

First All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets
at

Ukrainian Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Ukrainian Soviet Encyclopedia'' ( uk, Українська радянська енциклопедія, ''Ukrayinska radyanska entsyklopediya'') was a multi-purpose encyclopedia of Ukraine, issued in the USSR. First attempt Following th ...

First All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets
at Juridical Encyclopedia Russian Revolution in Ukraine 1 1917 in Ukraine Political history of Ukraine 1917 in politics History of Kharkiv Communism in Ukraine 1917 conferences