Ten Days That Shook the World · Chapter
Appeal Against Insurrection explained
The Central Army Committee issues a stern appeal against any violent insurrection, insisting on the execution of the organized will of the majority as expressed by the Provisional Government and the Council of the Republic.
What happens
The Central Army Committee issues a stern appeal against any violent insurrection, insisting on the execution of the organized will of the majority as expressed by the Provisional Government and the Council of the Republic. It warns that any attempt to depose the government by force would be considered counterrevolutionary and repressed by arms, and calls for subordinating private interests to the common good of increasing production and fair distribution. It further proposes forced labor detachments for those guilty of sabotage, desertion, or disorder.
Themes in this chapter
Class Conflict and Polarization
The appeal explicitly pits the 'organized will of the majority' against the interests of 'private groups and classes,' highlighting the class-based tensions driving the political crisis.
Counterrevolution and Civil War
The committee warns that any violent demonstration to depose the government will be considered a counterrevolutionary act and repressed by force, directly invoking the threat of civil war.
Struggle for Legitimacy and Power
The appeal asserts the legitimacy of the Provisional Government and the Council of the Republic against the Bolsheviks' claim to represent the people, framing the conflict as a struggle over who holds rightful authority.
Key passages
“Above everything we insist upon the inflexible execution of the organised will of the majority of the people, expressed by the Provisional Government in accord with the Council of the Republic and the Tsay-ee-kah, as organ of the popular power.”
We demand strict adherence to the democratic decision of the majority, as represented by the Provisional Government and the Council of the Republic.
The committee emphasizes the democratic legitimacy of the current government against calls for insurrection.
“Any demonstration to depose this power by violence, at a moment when a Government crisis will infallibly create disorganisation, the ruin of the country, and civil war, will be considered by the Army as a counterrevolutionary act, and repressed by force of arms.”
Any violent attempt to overthrow the government will cause chaos and civil war, and the army will treat it as a counterrevolutionary action and suppress it with military force.
The committee threatens military repression against any insurrection, framing it as counterrevolutionary.
“The interests of private groups and classes should be submitted to a single interest—that of augmenting industrial production, and distributing the necessities of life with fairness.”
Private and class interests must be set aside for the common goal of increasing production and ensuring fair distribution of essential goods.
This reflects a call for national unity and economic discipline amid the crisis.
“All who are capable of sabotage, disorganisation, or disorder, all deserters, all slackers, all looters, should be forced to do auxiliary service in the rear of the Army.”
Anyone guilty of sabotage, disorder, desertion, or looting should be compelled to perform support duties behind the front lines.
The committee proposes punitive labor for those undermining the war effort or public order.