Petersburg Soviet of Workers' Deputies

Categories / City Administration/Government Bodies
PETERSBURG SOVIET OF WORKERS' DEPUTIES, formed on 13 October 1905 during the General Strike of October 1905. The founding sitting of the Soviet, with the participation of 40 delegates from factories and plants from all over the capital, was held within the Technological Institute (memorial plaque installed). From 17 October, the Soviet held sittings in the building of the Free Economic Society. By the middle of November, there were 562 deputies in the Petersburg Soviet of Workers' Deputies, coming from 147 industrial factories, 34 workshops and 16 professional unions (out of them, 351 were metal workers, 57 were textile-workers, 32 were printers). The party structure included Social Democrats (65%), members of the Socialist Revolutionary Party (13%), and independent members (22%). The first head of the Soviet was the worker Zborovsky; from October 14, it was G.S. Khrustalev-Nosar (independent, later joined the Mensheviks); after his arrest on 26 November, Menshevik L. D. Trotsky was elected head. The printing arm of the Soviet was called "News of the Soviet of Workers' Deputies". The Petersburg Soviet of Workers' Deputies made a decision against arbitrary censorship for periodicals, for the introduction of an eight-hour workday from 31 October, for a strike of solidarity with rebelling sailors at Kronstadt and the proletariat of Poland, and for measures fighting lock-outs. On 3 December 1905, deputies from the Soviet were arrested during a general meeting; in autumn 1906, they were prosecuted, condemned to exile in Siberia and confinement in the Fortress. On 10 December 1905, a new staff for the Petersburg Soviet of Workers' Deputies was elected (Menshevik A.L. Parvus became its head). However, on 2 January 1906, it also was raided by police.

References: История Совета рабочих депутатов г. С.-Петербурга. СПб., [1905]; Невский В. И. Советы и вооруженное восстание в 1905 году. М., 1932; Шустер У. А. Петербургские рабочие в 1905-1907 гг. Л., 1976.

Z. P. Solovyeva. Khrustalev-Nosar Georgy Stepanovich
Parvus (real name Gelfand) Alexander Lvovich
Trotsky (real name Bronstein) Lev Davidovich
История Совета рабочих депутатов г. С.-Петербурга. СПб., [1905]
Невский В. И. Советы и вооруженное восстание в 1905 году. М., 1932
Шустер У. А. Петербургские рабочие в 1905-1907 гг. Л., 1976 October General Political Strike of 1905
Constituent Assembly, All-Russian
State Institute of Technology, St. Petersburg
Free Economic Society
1905
1906