Communism -- Soviet Union; Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921
Three regiments of the Petrograd garrison to take any part in the
battle against Kerensky. On the morning of the 13th they summoned to a
joint conference sixty delegates from the Front, in order to find some
way to stop the civil war. This conference appointed a committee to go
and persuade Kerensky’s troops to lay down their arms. They proposed to
ask the Government soldiers the following questions: (1) Will the
soldiers and Cossacks of Kerensky recognise the _Tsay-ee-kah_ as the
repository of Governmental power, responsible to the Congress of
Soviets? (2) Will the soldiers and Cossacks accept the decrees of the
second Congress of Soviets? (3) Will they accept the Land and Peace
decrees? (4) Will they agree to cease hostilities and return to their
units? (5) Will they consent to the arrest of Kerensky, Krasnov and
Savinkov?
At the meeting of the Petrograd Soviet, Zinoviev said, “It would be
foolish to think that this committee could finish affair. The enemy can
only be broken by force. However, it would be a crime for us not to try
every peaceful means to bring the Cossacks over to us…. What we need is
a military victory…. The news of an armistice is premature. Our Staff
will be ready to conclude an armistice when the enemy can no longer do
any harm….
“At present, the influence of our victory is creating new political
conditions…. To-day the Socialist Revolutionaries are inclined to admit
the Bolsheviki into the new Government…. A decisive victory is
indispensable, so that those who hesitate will have no further
hesitation….”
At the City Duma all attention was concentrated on the formation of the
new Government. In many factories and barracks already Revolutionary
Tribunals were operating, and the Bolsheviki were threatening to set up
more of these, and try Gotz and Avksentiev before them. Dan proposed
that an ultimatum be sent demanding the abolition of these
Revolutionary Tribunals, or the other members of the Conference would
immediately break off all negotiations with the Bolsheviki.
Shingariov, Cadet, declared that the Municipality ought not to take
part in any agreement with the Bolsheviki…. “Any agreement with the
maniacs is impossible until they lay down their arms and recognise the
authority of independent courts of law….”
Yartsev, for the _Yedinstvo_ group, declared that any agreement with
the Bolsheviki would be equivalent to a Bolshevik victory….
Mayor Schreider, for the Socialist Revolutionaries, stated that he was
opposed to all agreement with the Bolsheviki…. “As for a Government,
that ought to spring from the popular will; and since the popular will
has been expressed in the municipal elections, the popular will which
can create a Government is actually concentrated in the Duma….”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account