6th All Russian Congress

Congresses Index

Sixth All-Russian Extraordinary Congress of Soviets of Workers, Peasants, Cossack and Red Army Deputies, November 6-9, 1918

VI All-Russian Congress of Soviets (Sixth All-Russian Extraordinary Congress of Soviets of Workers, Peasants, Cossack, and Red Army Deputies), November 6 - 9, 1918, Moscow. At the congress, the results of the first year of the existence of the Soviet state were summed up.

According to the credentials committee, as of November 8, 1234 mandates were issued, of which 933 with the right of decisive vote were issued, including 913 mandates were issued to the communists, 10 to revolutionary communists, 5 to left-wing socialist-revolutionaries, to communist populists - 2, maximalists - 1, anarchists - 1, non-partisan - 1. There were 333 mandates with an advisory vote, including 333 communists, 4 left-wing socialist-revolutionaries, 3 anarchists, communist populists and 2 non-party people each, revolutionary communists, maximalists, internationalists, Finnish communists, representatives of Poalei Zion, the Ukrainian Communist Party and the British Socialist Party - 1 mandate each 13 delegates were late for the convention.

Of the delegates to the VI Congress, 33 took part in the I Congress, 52 in the II, 73 in the III, 83 in the IV, 129 in the V. 1001 delegates were first elected to the All-Russian Congress. 447 delegates have previously been held accountable for political affairs a total of 742 times; spent a total of 314 years, 5 months and 16 days in prisons, 256 years and 6 months in exile, 77 years, 10 months and 15 days in hard labor, 83 years in exile.

747 delegates to the congress were from 20 to 30 years old, 374 - up to 40 years old, 68 - up to 50 years old, and only 9 were over 50 years old.

The 1st meeting opened on November 6, 1918 at 15:00, chaired by Yakov Sverdlov.

Sverdlov, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Steklov, Avanesov, Myasnikov and Sergeev were elected to the presidium of the congress, the honorary chairmen of the presidium were Lenin, Liebknecht, Fr. Adler, McLean, and Debs.

As part of the approved order of the day, the following reports were made, welcome speeches and messages were heard:

1) Anniversary of the revolution (lecture by V. I. Lenin);

2) Greetings to the congress of the representative of the left socialist party of Sweden Carlsen (translated by A. Kollontai), the representative of the Danish socialist youth Christiansen (translated by A. Kollontai), a welcoming telegram from Karl Liebknecht, the "Spartak" group

3) At the suggestion of Y. Sverdlov, the Congress sent greetings to all working people fighting for peace and socialism, as well as to the Red Army. In addition, an appeal was adopted to the governments of the United States, Britain, France, Italy, and Japan, which are waging a war against Soviet Russia, with a proposal to start negotiations on concluding peace.

4) At the suggestion of Kamenev, the Congress adopted a resolution on amnesty, according to which political prisoners who did not pose a danger to the Soviet Republic were released.

The 2nd meeting opened on November 8, 1918 at 4:25 pm.

1) A message was deserved about the capture of Izhevsk by the 2nd Army, a welcoming telegram was sent to the Red Army men and the command staff of the 2nd Army of the Eastern Front.

2) A report on the international situation was heard (lecturer V. I. Lenin), a corresponding resolution was adopted.

3) A report on legality was heard (rapporteur, People's Commissar of Justice D. I. Kurski), a corresponding resolution was adopted.

4) Sverdlov read out a report on the latest events in Germany and reported to the Congress the information provided by the Credentials Committee.

The meeting closed at 18:30.

The 3rd meeting opened at 18:00.

1) Steklov 's report on the latest events in Germany was heard and taken into account.

2) A report by L. D. Trotsky on martial law was heard, and a decision was made to address a greeting to the Red Army.

3) The proposal of the Northern Regional Congress of the Committees of the Poor on the organization of exemplary regiments of the rural poor was heard (Posern’s report)

4) The report on the state of affairs in Northern Germany was heard and taken into account, Sverdlov's proposal to send a telegram of greetings to the insurgent German peasants, soldiers, and workers.

5) The report of Zinoviev on the building of Soviet power in the center, the Committees of the Poor and the Soviets in the localities was heard, and a corresponding resolution was adopted.

6) elections were held in the V. Ts. IK, in accordance with the approved lists provided by the factions of the congress, based on the calculation of 1 member of the V. Ts. IK for every 5 delegates.

Resolutions adopted

1) Resolution of the VI Congress on the proposal to the governments of the USA, England, France, Italy, and Japan to open, in order to prevent bloodshed, peace negotiations;

2) Resolution of the VI Congress on amnesty in conditions of strengthening and strengthening of the workers 'and peasants' power;

3) Resolution of the VI Congress "On revolutionary legality”, calling on all citizens of the Republic to comply with the laws of the RSFSR, decrees, orders and regulations issued and issued by the central government, as well as - on the inadmissibility of adopting measures deviating from the laws of the RSFSR, with the exception of emergency, caused by the conditions of the civil war and the fight against counterrevolution.

4) Resolution of the VI Congress "On the construction of Soviet power in the center, committees of the poor and local councils"