1917 Russian Constituent Assembly election: Difference between revisions
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'''Elections to the [[Russian Constituent Assembly|Constituent Assembly]]''' were held in [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Soviet Russia]] on 25 November 1917 (although some districts had polling on alternate days), around 2 months after they were originally meant to occur, having been organized as a result of events in the [[Russian Revolution of 1917]]. They are generally recognised to be the first free elections in Russian history. |
'''Elections to the [[Russian Constituent Assembly|Constituent Assembly]]''' were held in [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Soviet Russia]] on 25 November 1917 (although some districts had polling on alternate days), around 2 months after they were originally meant to occur, having been organized as a result of events in the [[Russian Revolution of 1917]]. They are generally recognised to be the first free elections in Russian history. |
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The [[Bolsheviks]] |
The [[Bolsheviks]] together with the "left-SR" party, had seized power in the [[October Revolution]]. The candidate lists had been drawn up before the SR split took place; therefore, right SRs were overwhelmingly overrepresented, leaving out left SRs who were part of the [[VTsIK]] coalition government with the Bolsheviks.<ref>Sheila Fitzpatrick, ''The Russian Revolution'', Oxford: Oxford University Press (2008), p. 66.</ref> The Constituent Assembly convened on 18 January 1918. However, the other parties refused to give their support to Bolshevik leader and premier [[Vladimir Lenin]]'s idea of a [[Soviet republic (system of government)|soviet republic]]. The VTsIK dissolved the Assembly the next day, leaving the [[All-Russian Congress of Soviets]] as the governing body of Russia. |
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SRs and Mensheviks were allowed to take part in the 1918 elections to local Soviets, but they sided against the Bolsheviks in the Russian civil war, and by the end of 1918, all opposition parties had been banned, marking the onset of the Bolshevik dictatorship. |
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Various academic studies have given alternative results. However, all clearly indicate that the Bolsheviks were clear winners in the urban centres, and also took around two-thirds of the votes of soldiers on the "Western Front." Nevertheless, the SRs topped the polls on the strength of support from the country's rural peasantry. A study by [[Oliver Henry Radkey]] found the following breakdown (note that the figures for Socialist Revolutionaries includes the Ukrainian Socialist Revolutionaries, while the Kadet figure includes other "[[Right-wing politics|rightists]]" as well. The total number of deputies returned for "Others" includes 39 [[Left Socialist-Revolutionaries]] and four [[Labour Popular Socialist Party|Popular Socialists]], as well as 77 others from various local groups). |
Various academic studies have given alternative results. However, all clearly indicate that the Bolsheviks were clear winners in the urban centres, and also took around two-thirds of the votes of soldiers on the "Western Front." Nevertheless, the SRs topped the polls on the strength of support from the country's rural peasantry. A study by [[Oliver Henry Radkey]] found the following breakdown (note that the figures for Socialist Revolutionaries includes the Ukrainian Socialist Revolutionaries, while the Kadet figure includes other "[[Right-wing politics|rightists]]" as well. The total number of deputies returned for "Others" includes 39 [[Left Socialist-Revolutionaries]] and four [[Labour Popular Socialist Party|Popular Socialists]], as well as 77 others from various local groups). |
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All 703 seats to the Russian Constituent Assembly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 48.44% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Elections to the Constituent Assembly were held in Soviet Russia on 25 November 1917 (although some districts had polling on alternate days), around 2 months after they were originally meant to occur, having been organized as a result of events in the Russian Revolution of 1917. They are generally recognised to be the first free elections in Russian history.
The Bolsheviks together with the "left-SR" party, had seized power in the October Revolution. The candidate lists had been drawn up before the SR split took place; therefore, right SRs were overwhelmingly overrepresented, leaving out left SRs who were part of the VTsIK coalition government with the Bolsheviks.[1] The Constituent Assembly convened on 18 January 1918. However, the other parties refused to give their support to Bolshevik leader and premier Vladimir Lenin's idea of a soviet republic. The VTsIK dissolved the Assembly the next day, leaving the All-Russian Congress of Soviets as the governing body of Russia.
SRs and Mensheviks were allowed to take part in the 1918 elections to local Soviets, but they sided against the Bolsheviks in the Russian civil war, and by the end of 1918, all opposition parties had been banned, marking the onset of the Bolshevik dictatorship.
Various academic studies have given alternative results. However, all clearly indicate that the Bolsheviks were clear winners in the urban centres, and also took around two-thirds of the votes of soldiers on the "Western Front." Nevertheless, the SRs topped the polls on the strength of support from the country's rural peasantry. A study by Oliver Henry Radkey found the following breakdown (note that the figures for Socialist Revolutionaries includes the Ukrainian Socialist Revolutionaries, while the Kadet figure includes other "rightists" as well. The total number of deputies returned for "Others" includes 39 Left Socialist-Revolutionaries and four Popular Socialists, as well as 77 others from various local groups).
Results
| Party | Votes[2] | Percent | Deputies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist-Revolutionary Party (SRs) | 17,943.000 | 40.4% | 380 |
| Bolsheviks | 10,661. 000 | 24.0% | 168 |
| Constitutional Democratic Party (Kadets) | 2,088. 000 | 4.7% | 17 |
| Mensheviks | 1,144.000 | 2.6% | 18 |
| Others | 8,198.000 | 18,40% | 120 |
| Total (counted) | 40, 034.000 | 90,10% | Total; 703 |
| Total (Unaccounted) | 4,543.,000 | 10,2% | |
| Total | 44,577.000 | 100% |
All Parties
| Party | Votes [2] | % |
|---|---|---|
| Socialist Revolutionaries (SRs) | 17,943.000 | 40,4% |
| Bolsheviks | 10,661.000 | 24,0% |
| Ukrainan SRs | 3,433.000 | 7,7% |
| Constitutional Democrats ("Kadets") | 2,088.000 | 4,7% |
| Mensheviks | 1,144.000 | 2,6% |
| Other Russian Liberal Parties | 1,261.000 | 2,8% |
| Georgian Menshevik Party | 662.000 | 1,5% |
| Musavat (Azerbaidžan) | 616.000 | 1,4% |
| Dashnaktsutiun (Armenia) | 560.000 | 1,3% |
| Left SRs | 451.000 | 1,0% |
| Other Socialists | 401.000 | 0,9% |
| Alash Orda (Kazakstan) | 407.000 | 0,9% |
| Other National Minority Parties | 407.000 | 0,9% |
| Total (counted votes) | 40,034.000 | 90,10% |
| Unaccounted | 4,543.000 | 10,2% |
| Total | 44,577.000 | 100% |
By Region
| Region | Bolshevik vote %[5] |
|---|---|
| All Russia | 23.4 |
| Baltic Fleet | 62.6 |
| Black Sea Fleet | 20.5 |
| Northern Front | 56.1 |
| Western Front | 66.9 |
| Southwestern Front | 29.8 |
| Romanian Front | 14.8 |
| Petrograd | 45 |
| Moscow | 47.9 |
| Transcaucasia | 4.6 |
| Estonia | 40.4 |
| Livonia | 71.9 |
| Vitebsk | 51.2 |
| Minsk | 63.1 |
| Smolensk | 54.9 |
| Belorussia (previous 3) | 57.5 |
| Siberia | 9.9 |
| Workers | 86.5 |
| Party | % Caucasian vote[5] |
|---|---|
| Mensheviks | 30.1 |
| Dashnaks (Armenian nationalists) | 18.5 |
| SRs | 5.6 |
| Bolsheviks | 4.6 |
| Kadets | 1.3 |
| Unclassified | 39.8 |
The Mensheviks got just 3.3% of the national vote, but in the Transcaucasus they got 30.2% of the vote. 41.7% of their support came from there, and in Georgia around 75% of the population voted for them.[6]
References
- ^ Sheila Fitzpatrick, The Russian Revolution, Oxford: Oxford University Press (2008), p. 66.
- ^ a b Caplan, Bryan. "Lenin and the First Communist Revolutions, IV". George Mason University.
- ^ "Constitutional Assembly in the History of Russian Parliament". Echo of Moscow (in Russian). 2008-03-03.
- ^ "Electoral System of Russia". Bestreferat.ru (in Russian). 2008-03-03.
- ^ a b Oliver Henry Radkey, The Election to the Russian Constituent Assembly
- ^ Oliver Henry Radkey, The Election to the Russian Constituent Assembly, page 79
Further reading
- Badcock, Sarah. "'We're for the Muzhiks' Party!'Peasant Support for the Socialist Revolutionary Party During 1917." Europe-Asia Studies 53.1 (2001): 133-149.
- Rabinovitch, Simon. "Russian Jewry goes to the polls: an analysis of Jewish voting in the All‐Russian Constituent Assembly Elections of 1917." East European Jewish Affairs 39.2 (2009): 205-225.
- Radkey, Oliver Henry. Russia goes to the polls: the election to the all-Russian Constituent Assembly, 1917 (Cornell University Press, 1989)
- Smith, Scott Baldwin. Captives of Revolution: The Socialist Revolutionaries and the Bolshevik Dictatorship, 1918–1923 (University of Pittsburgh Pre, 2011)
- Von Hagen, Mark. Soldiers in the proletarian dictatorship: the Red Army and the Soviet socialist state, 1917-1930 (Cornell University Press, 1990)
