Ten Days That Shook the World · Chapter
Popular Organisations explained
This chapter provides a glossary of the various popular organisations that emerged in Russia during the revolutionary period, including Soviets, Trade Unions, Factory-Shop Committees, Dumas, Zemstvos, Cooperatives, Army Committees, and Flee
What happens
This chapter provides a glossary of the various popular organisations that emerged in Russia during the revolutionary period, including Soviets, Trade Unions, Factory-Shop Committees, Dumas, Zemstvos, Cooperatives, Army Committees, and Fleet Committees. It explains their origins, functions, and how they interacted with the evolving political landscape leading up to and following the Bolshevik Revolution.
Themes in this chapter
Workers' Control and Economic Transformation
The chapter describes Factory-Shop Committees as spontaneous organisations created by workers to take over and run factories, illustrating the push for workers' control over industry.
Class Conflict and Polarization
The rise of economic-based organisations like Soviets and Factory-Shop Committees, contrasted with the decline of political bodies like the City Duma, reflects the deepening class polarization.
Key passages
“The word “soviet” means “council.” Under the Tsar the Imperial Council of State was called Gosudarstvennyi Soviet . Since the Revolution, however, the term Soviet has come to be associated with a certain type of parliament elected by members of working-class economic organisations—the Soviet of Workers’, of Soldiers’, or of Peasants’ Deputies.”
The term 'soviet' originally meant 'council' and was used for the Imperial Council of State, but after the Revolution it came to refer to a parliament elected by workers', soldiers', or peasants' economic organisations.
Clarifies the shift in meaning of 'soviet' after the Revolution.
“The Factory-Shop Committees also had their All-Russian organisation, with a Central Committee at Petrograd, which cooperated with the Trade Unions.”
Factory-Shop Committees had a national body in Petrograd that worked alongside the Trade Unions.
Highlights the coordination between factory committees and trade unions.
“The City Duma referred to in this book was the reorganised Municipal Council, often called “Municipal Self-Government.” It was elected by direct and secret ballot, and its only reason for failure to hold the masses during the Bolshevik Revolution was the general decline in influence of all purely political representation in the fact of the growing power of organisations based on economic groups.”
The City Duma was a democratically elected municipal council that lost popular support because economic-based organisations like the Soviets became more influential than purely political bodies.
Explains why the City Duma failed to retain the masses.
“After the March Revolution the Cooperatives spread rapidly, and were dominated by Populist Socialists, Mensheviki and Socialist Revolutionaries, and acted as a conservative political force until the Bolshevik Revolution.”
After the March Revolution, cooperatives grew quickly under the control of moderate socialists and served as a conservative political influence until the Bolshevik takeover.
Describes the political role of cooperatives.
“The administrative breakdown in the army incident upon the Revolution threw upon the shoulders of the Army Committees most of the work of the Quartermaster’s Department, and in some cases, even the command of troops.”
Due to the administrative collapse after the Revolution, Army Committees took over supply duties and sometimes even military command.
Shows the expanded role of Army Committees.