Petrograd Soviet of peasants' deputies

Categories / City Administration/Government Bodies
PETROGRAD SOVIET OF PEASANTS' DEPUTIES (until May of 1917 was called the Soviet of peasants' deputies of Petrograd garrison), established on April 14 (27 New Style), 1917 (280 deputies represented about 300 thousand of garrison soldiers). On April 21 (May 4 New Style) the executive Commission was elected on the first session of the Soviet (it included 14, then 32 persons) together with its presidium (5 persons). Left socialist revolutionaries and bolshevist adherents prevailed in the Soviet. In July the representatives of 15 enterprises (of pipe plant, Aivaz's plant, ammunition plant, Russian Renault, Old Parviainen and others) became members of the Soviet. The Soviet demanded the immediate armistice, passing of land into peasants' use in accordance with "working rate", the immediate calling of the Constituent Assembly, democratic freedoms, large-scale local autonomy etc. The soviet issued leaflets, supplied the rural population with propagandist literature, sent about 3 thousand agitators to work in the regions of the country. It was funded on account of the money deducted from the Petrograd working people's salary (64 thousand roubles for 1917). 14 delegates of the Soviet sat on the 1st All-Russian congress of peasants' deputies (May of 1917). After the luquidation of Kornilov's uprising radical opinions came to prevail in the Soviet, and in October of 1917 the Soviet backed up Bolshevists but called upon the establishing of "homogeneous democratic government" consisting of representatives of all socialist parties. In January of 1918 the Soviet approved of the dispersal of the Constituent Assembly. Due to mass demobilization of the old army it stopped functioning on December 26, 1918.

References: Петроградский совет крестьянских депутатов: Очерк возникновения и деятельности, 1917 г.-1918 г. М., 1918; Моисеева О. Н. Советы крестьянских депутатов в 1917 году. М., 1967.

A. M. Kulegin. Петроградский совет крестьянских депутатов: Очерк возникновения и деятельности, 1917 г. - 1918 г. М.
Моисеева О. Н. Советы крестьянских депутатов в 1917 году. М., 1967