Soviets

Transliteration of the Russian language “совет”, means “council of representatives” or “councils”.

Soviet type of revolutionary workers’ assemblies had first emerged during the Russian Revolution in 1905. At that time, the council of representatives organized by the striking workers as the strike committee was referred to as “Soviet”. Soviet was a direct democratic form of workers and soldiers, and the elected representatives could be elected and recalled at any time, implying the form of political power practiced during the Paris Commune. After the October Revolution, the Soviet became the symbol of Russia’s new political power, and its most basic production units in cities and villages were the Soviets. Thus, under the leadership of the Communist Party, the Soviet not only undertook legislative tasks, but also acted as the leader of the administrative and executive organs. During the October Revolution in 1917, the Soviet assemblies representing the workers, soldiers and peasants established throughout Russia as the political power of the working people.

On November 7, 1917 (October 25, Russian calendar), under the leadership of the Bolshevik Party led by Lenin, the Russian people overthrew the landlord- bourgeois regime and won the victory of the October Revolution. On the day of victory, the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets was held, adopted “The Declaration Addressing the Workers, Soldiers and Farmers” which was drafted by Lenin, and declared that all political power belonged to the Soviets. From then on, the Soviets became the political organization form of the dictatorship of the proletariat in Russia. On January 25, 1918, the Third All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers’, Soldiers’ and Peasants’ Deputies adopted the “Declaration of Rights of the Working and Exploited People”, declaring Russia a Soviet Republic represented by workers, soldiers and peasants. On July 10 of the same year, “The Constitution of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic” (hereinafter referred to as “The Soviet Constitution”) adopted by the Fifth All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers’, Peasants’, Soldiers’ and Red Army Deputies established the socialist political system based on the Soviet Union. On December 30, 1922, the First All-Union Congress of Soviets adopted the “Declaration and Treaty on the Formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics”, declaring the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

On January 31, 1924, the Second Congress of the Soviets of the USS.R. adopted the “Constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics” (referred to as the “Soviet Constitution”), which recognized the Soviet Union as a unified union state of Soviet socialism. In 1934, the Soviet Union declared that the exploiting class was eliminated, and the socialist public economy had occupied a dominant position in the national economy. On December 5, 1936, the Constitution of the Soviet Union adopted by the Extraordinary Eighth Congress of Soviets of the USS.R. further improved the Soviet system. On October 7, 1977, the Extraordinary Seventh Session of the Ninth Supreme Soviet of the USS.R. adopted the Constitution of the Soviet Union, which inherited the thoughts and principles of the former three Soviet constitutions and declared that the Soviet Union had already built an advanced socialist society. The Constitution stipulated the political system of the Soviet Union with a special chapter and declared that the Soviet Union was a socialist country of the whole people, representing the will and interests of workers, peasants, intellectuals and working people of all ethnic groups in the country. It stipulated that all the power of the Soviet Union belonged to the people, and the organ where the people exercised state power was the people’s representative Soviet, and that the C.P.S.U. would act as the core of the Soviet political system.

After December 1988, the Soviet Union amended the constitution many times, and its political system changed constantly, and in 1989, the supreme organ of state power of the Soviet Union was changed to the People’s Congress, and its permanent organ was the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union which also elected the first president and vice president. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Soviet existed in name only. After a short period, it was forcibly dissolved in Russia and while the parliaments of Ukraine and other countries still used the name of the Soviet, but they had nothing to do with the original Soviet.