The Russian Republic,. referred to as the Russian Democratic Federative Republic in the
1918 Constitution, was a short-lived
state which controlled, ''
de jure'', the territory of the former
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
after its proclamation by the
Russian Provisional Government on 1 September (14 September, ) 1917 in a decree signed by
Alexander Kerensky as Minister-Chairman and
Alexander Zarudny as
Minister of Justice.
[The Russian Republic Proclaimed]
at prlib.ru, accessed 12 June 2017
The
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
of the Russian Republic was dissolved after the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...
seized power by force on 7 November 1917. Nonetheless, a
partially democratic election of the
Constituent Assembly still took place later in November. On 18 January 1918, this assembly issued a decree, proclaiming Russia a democratic federal republic, but was also dissolved by the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...
on the next day after the proclamation.
The Bolsheviks also used the name "Russian Republic" until the official name "
Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic" was adopted in the
Constitution of July 1918. The term is sometimes used erroneously for the period between the abdication of the
Emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
Nicholas II on 3 March 1917 (16 March, N.S.) and the declaration of the Russian Republic in September. However, during that period the status of the Russian political system was unresolved, left up to be decided by a future elected
Constituent Assembly.
History
Following the
February Revolution, Emperor
Nicholas II abdicated his throne and a
Provisional Government was formed, under the leadership of Prince
Georgy Lvov. The status of the monarchy was left unresolved.
Officially, the Republic's government was the Provisional Government, although ''
de facto'' control of the country was contested between it,
the soviets (chiefly the
Petrograd Soviet), and various ethnic-based
separatists (such as the
Central Council of Ukraine). Soviets were political organizations of the
proletariat, strongest in industrial regions, and were dominated by
left-wing parties. Soviets, whose influence was supplemented with
paramilitary
A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934.
Overview
Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
forces, were occasionally able to rival the Provisional Government which had an ineffective state apparatus.
During his first weeks as prime minister, Lvov presided over a series of fleeting reforms which sought to radically liberalize Russia. Universal adult suffrage was introduced, freedoms of press and speech were granted, capital punishment abolished, and all legal restrictions of religion, class and race were removed. Unable to rally sufficient support, he resigned in July 1917 in favor of his
Minister of War
A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
,
Alexander Kerensky.
The Government's control of the military was tenuous. Seamen of the
Baltic Fleet, for example, had far-left views and openly engaged in political activism in
the capital
''The Capital'' (also known as ''Capital Gazette'' as its online nameplate and informally, while the Sunday edition is called ''The Sunday Capital'') is a daily newspaper published by Capital Gazette Communications in Annapolis, Maryland, to ...
.
Right-wing
Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
proclivities among
the army officers were also a problem – Kerensky's attempt to dismiss Gen.
Lavr Kornilov led to a
failed coup.
Following the failure of Kornilov's coup, Kerensky proclaimed Russia to be a Republic on 1 September, establishing a
Provisional Council as temporary parliament, in preparation to the elections of a
Constituent Assembly. However, on 7 November 1917,
the Bolsheviks seized power and dissolved both the Provisional Government and the Provisional Council.
Nonetheless, a
partially democratic election of the
Constituent Assembly still took place later in November. On 18 January 1918, this assembly issued a decree, proclaiming Russia a democratic federal republic under the name "Russian Democratic Federative Republic", However, the next day the Assembly was dissolved by the Bolsheviks.
The Republic ''de jure'' continued to exist until the Bolsheviks proclaimed the creation of the
Russian Soviet Republic on 25 January 1918.
In response, anti-Bolshevik forces proclaimed the
Russian State in September 1918, under the leadership of the
Provisional All-Russian Government.
Principal institutions
*
All-Russian Congress of Soviets
*
Directorate (Russia)
*
Provisional Council of the Russian Republic
*
Russian Constituent Assembly
*
Russian Provisional Government
See also
*
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
*
Russian Revolution
*
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...
*
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
*
Petrograd Soviets
*
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
*
Bolshevists
*
Elections in Russia
Notes
References
External links
The Russian Republic proclaimed Presidential Library
* Browder, R. P.,
Kerensky, A. F.
The Russian Provisional Government, 1917: Documents'. "
Stanford University Press".
Stanford, 1961.
{{coord missing, Russia
States and territories established in 1917
States and territories disestablished in 1918
Russian Revolution
Russian Provisional Government
Post–Russian Empire states
Former republics
1917 establishments in Russia
1917 disestablishments in Russia
February Revolution