After the February Revolution and the overthrow of the tsar, monarchist Russia passed into the status of "republic". The interim government (as the new authorities called themselves) took the brunt of the rule on themselves. By that time, many parties had emerged that had followers and put forward their program for the further restructuring of the state apparatus. In order to hold worthy elections, the Provisional Government organizes a Constituent Assembly. The year 1917, among other things, becomes famous for the huge turmoil around preparations for this event. And it was in this year that the first vote took place. The parties stood out the most:
- Social Revolutionaries;
- Bolsheviks;
- Mensheviks;
- cadets.
Elections to the 1917 Constituent Assembly began with preparation.
Election preparation
Representatives of all parties and all kinds of associations existing at that time participated in the preparation. The printing house produced large runs of literature, leaflets, campaign posters, and more. Population polls were conducted on the streets. Various speeches were also held in order to familiarize the people with the politics of a party.
The event promised to be democratic. What was not until now in the Russian Empire. Any citizen of 20 years old or a person serving in the army aged 18 years could become a voter. Also, women could participate in the elections. What was a wonder not only in Russia, but in most countries. The exceptions were Denmark, New Zealand, Norway and some states of America, where women have established equal rights with men.
Voting
Elections to the 1917 Constituent Assembly were held in several constituencies into which the country was divided. The deputy quota was allocated at the rate of one in two hundred thousand people. The exception was perhaps Siberia. The calculation there was carried out for reasons of one in one hundred seventy nine thousand people.
The principle of proportionality, characteristic of the selection to the Constituent Assembly of 1917, was borrowed from the Belgians. And the main feature of this system was considered that, in addition to the majority, a minority of the population is also allowed. To do this, about twelve districts were organized in small constituencies with their characteristic majority election system .
Elections to the 1917 Constituent Assembly were held in November. This event lasted no more than three days.
Election results
At the end of the elections to the Constituent Assembly of 1917, the results showed that the Socialist-Revolutionaries were in the lead, gaining about 50% of the vote. In second place were the Bolsheviks. Their percentage of votes did not exceed 25. In the lower places were the Mensheviks and Cadets.
In total, about 44.5 million people voted.
Liquidation of the Cadet Party
The Bolsheviks, under public pressure, did not prevent the holding of elections to the Constituent Assembly of 1917, but were defeated there. In order to somehow reduce the number of their competitors, they prepared a decree, subsequently approved by the Council of People's Commissars and narrating that the Cadet Party is a party of the enemies of the people. After which the cadets were deprived of their mandates.
Then they were arrested and executed. Left Socialist-Revolutionaries wanted to help them, but the Council of People's Commissars completely forbade them to do this, referring to the same decree. Kokoshkin, the leader of the cadet party, was later killed. The Constituent Assembly (1917) was held without the presence of the Cadets. In addition to Kokoshkin, the same night, the deputy Shingarev, the leader of the constitutional democratic party, was also shot.
Acceleration of the Constituent Assembly, or “The guard is tired”
After a series of repressions against figures from other parties, the Bolsheviks made a loud statement in a newspaper. The Pravda newspaper at that time narrated in detail about the activities of the deputies included in the Constituent Assembly (1917). In Russia, this newspaper was the most popular. What a surprise it was when it published a statement of the leaders of the Bolsheviks who threatened to consolidate their power by revolutionary actions, if such was not recognized at the meeting.
Nevertheless, the meeting took place. Lenin’s declaration “on the working people” never received recognition, which led to the fact that at the third hour of the night the Bolsheviks left the Tauride Palace, where the meeting was held. An hour later, the Left Social Revolutionaries left after them. The remaining parties, with Chairman Chernov elected by a majority vote, adopted documents relating to:
- The law on land as a public property;
- negotiations with the belligerent powers;
- proclamation of Russia as a democratic republic.
However, none of these documents was adopted by the Bolsheviks. Moreover, the next day, not one of the deputies who decided them was admitted to the Tauride Palace. The meeting itself was dispersed by the sailor-anarchist Zheleznyakov with the words "I ask you to stop the meeting, the guard is tired and wants to sleep." This phrase has gone down in history.
Effects
Neither the elections for the deputies, nor the convocation of the Constituent Assembly of 1917 led to anything. Everything was already predetermined by the Bolsheviks. The meeting itself was approved by them for indicative purposes.
Further actions of the meeting participants unleashed a revolutionary situation in the country.
Despite the fact that the right-wing parties of the Constituent Assembly were banned, the goal of the White Movement was the new convocation and holding of the Constituent Assembly, but not the one that the sailor Zheleznyak stopped. Since the first (it is the last) Constituent Assembly was wholly and completely controlled by the Bolsheviks.