Nothing Could Be More Unsoviet Than One Party Soviets

• In Event: All Power to the Soviets: Power and Authority in the Russian Revolution

Abstract

This paper delves into the 1905 origins of soviets and especially of 1917 soviets. Soviets were never visualized as connected to a political party and were always composed of individuals freely elected by constituents at any given concern or level (factory, urban district, city, etc.). The history of 1917 soviets, when these institutions arose in enormous numbers across Russia and all of the empire’s segments, illustrates the issue. Most 1917 soviets were organized by everyday SRs and SDs, with leading roles played by whatever group was more influential in the given concern, garrison, rural district, urban area, and so forth. By definition, this signified firmly multi-party soviets with multi-party leadership (executive committees, chairs, etc). Shifts in support at ground level occurred, but quite gradually and always with the clear understanding (at ground level) that everything was reversible. At no point were soviets or “soviet power” tied by mass elements to one party, as clearly demonstrated by what occurred in soviets throughout 1917-1918. Workers, soldiers, laboring intelligentsia, and multi-party socialists who created and led soviets viewed this “flexibility” as the essential element of soviet action and power. Restriction of membership in any given soviet, much less to all soviets to one party signified the end of “soviet power” in favor of the power of “one party.”

Author

• Michael Stanford Melancon, Auburn U