History is an essential part of our life. We cannot forget or rewrite it. But everyone has the opportunity to remember her, be interested in her. And this is absolutely true. If you are even a little keen on the history of Russia, you probably read or heard about the 1917 Decree on Peace. This was one of the first documents developed by the Soviet government. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin personally worked on it.
Document acceptance
This decree was adopted on October 26 at the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets, the day after the dissolution of the Provisional Government. He expressed the desire of people, exhausted and exhausted by the war, to hasten it as soon as possible and move on to a just, and most importantly, peaceful dialogue.
It is worth noting that at the same congress another no less important document was adopted - the decree "On Peace and Earth" of 1917. It was a regulatory act that plays an important role in land use. It dealt with the variety of forms of land use (farm, artel, community and courtyard).
Quick solution - slow result
The decision on both documents was adopted very quickly and meant only one thing - the new government is determined to deal with the most important problem of that period, thereby demonstrating its concern for the country as a whole and its people in particular.
Despite the fact that the decree on peace of 1917 was adopted unanimously and in such a short time, this did not cancel the fact that the real world is still too far away. Since at that time Russia was still at war with the Triple Alliance, which included several very influential countries: Italy, Austria-Hungary and Germany.
The main reasons and premises
Of course, there were many reasons for the adoption of the decree "On Peace" in 1917. But most historians are convinced that the main reason is the participation of the Russian Empire in the First World War.
A bloody war and unsuccessful decisions of the imperial government, adopted one after another, brought the country to a deep crisis, which by the end of 1916 had spread to the food, railway, weapons and many other spheres.
Talk about ending the war was still in April 1917. It was then that P.N.Milyukov (photo below), who holds the post of Minister of the Interior, spoke out that the war would go to a victorious end. Although it was already obvious to almost everyone that the battles had turned into a brutal massacre and they needed to be ended at any cost. In addition, the mood of ordinary citizens who refused to continue the fighting and demanded a long-awaited peace was clearly visible. Among the people reigned revolutionary sentiment. The long war laid bare before them such acute problems, starting from the peasant question, which no one could solve.
Bourgeois problem
The adoption of the decree "On Peace" in 1917 had another, no less significant reason. The people did not want war, and Emperor Nicholas II abandoned the throne, transferring all power to the Provisional Government, which, in turn, did not even consider the issue of peace. Why did it act in this way? Many historians agree that the bourgeoisie is at fault. After all, the Provisional Government is nothing more than the power of the largest bourgeoisie, which ruthlessly profited from military state orders. It was these people who led the country at such a difficult moment for her. And, of course, they did not want to part with their usual way of life.
Consequences after the adoption of the Decree: pros and cons
The significance of the Peace Decree of 1917 turned out to be quite large. And although there was still a year left until the end of the bloody war, it was this document that became the foundation for further changes.
On the night of October 27, the Soviet government was founded - the Council of People's Commissars, aka the Council of People's Commissars. On November 8, 1917, the Council of People's Commissars ordered the acting Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army, General N. N. Dukhonin, to immediately offer all countries participating in the military conflict to lay down their arms and begin peace negotiations. Dukhonin did not comply with the order and was removed from his post on the same day. Then this mission was placed on the shoulders of the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs. An official appeal was made to all the ambassadors of the Entente bloc.
On November 27, 1917, Germany announced its readiness to conduct a peaceful dialogue with the new government. On the same day, Vladimir Lenin turned to other countries, urging them to join.
However, there is another side to the coin. One historian of French descent, Helene Carrer d'Ankoss, spoke of the 1917 Decree on Peace as a call to end the war and start a revolution. The Frenchman is sure that this document was not addressed to the countries, but to the peoples of these countries, and that he called for the overthrow of power.
Peace Decree 1917 briefly. Key Points
If you briefly go through the decree "On Peace" 1917, then we can highlight several key points of this document.
First, the new Soviet government invited all countries participating in the war to begin negotiations on its completion as soon as possible. The Soviets insisted on a peace based on justice and democracy. Speaking a little more specifically, the main idea is the adoption of a world without annexations and indemnities. Consequently, without the seizure of foreign lands and without any cash payments from the losing countries.
Secondly, the new government advocated the abolition of secret diplomacy. It was proposed to conduct all negotiations openly and in full view of the whole people. The authorities wanted to publicize all the secret treaties that were concluded from February to October 1917. In general, the Soviet workers 'and peasants' government called for the recognition of all secret agreements as invalid.
Thirdly, when reading this decree, one may get the impression that this is some kind of order. However, the document itself emphasizes that the peace conditions proposed by the new government are not at all ultimatum. It is also said that Russia agrees to consider any conditions for concluding peace and insists only on doing this as quickly as possible and without any pitfalls.
Fourth, at the end of the document, the government draws attention to the fact that the appeal is aimed not only at countries, but at the peoples of these countries. It emphasizes that it was ordinary people who did a great service to the “cause of progress and socialism”.
Finally
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin understood very well that victory over the bourgeoisie was not the end. The new Soviet government knew that the result was to be consolidated. It was necessary to show the people that he had been heard, that the new government was responsible for his words and fulfilling promises. So, we have to do what we have been talking about for so long. Namely, to finally give the country peace, “land to the peasants”, and “factories to the workers”. To fulfill all these tasks, at the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets, Workers 'and Peasants' Deputies, which was held from October 25 to 26 in Petrograd, two documents that were most important for that period of time were announced and adopted: the decree "On Peace" and the decree "On Land".