Council of People's Commissars on War and Navy Affairs (russian: Совет Народных Комиссаров по Военным и Морским Делам, Soviet Narodnykh Kommissarov po voyenym i morskim dyelam) was the very first military government agency of the Soviet Russia initially named as the Committee on affairs of War and Navy. The council was created on November 8, 1917 (day after the
October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...
) on the decree of the 2nd
All-Russian Congress of Soviets
The All-Russian Congress of Soviets evolved from 1917 to become the supreme governing body of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1918 until 1936, effectively. The 1918 Constitution of the Russian SFSR mandated that Congress sha ...
"On creation of the Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Government" which was the name of the Russian
Sovnarkom
The Councils of People's Commissars (SNK; russian: Совет народных комиссаров (СНК), ''Sovet narodnykh kommissarov''), commonly known as the ''Sovnarkom'' (Совнарком), were the highest executive authorities of ...
.
The
Kornilov Affair sanctioned by
Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky, ; original spelling: ( – 11 June 1970) was a Russian lawyer and revolutionary who led the Russian Provisional Government and the short-lived Russian Republic for three months from late July to early Nove ...
which resulted in detention of the Russian Supreme Commander-in-Chief
Lavr Kornilov and the Bolshevisation of Soviets also played a major role in establishing of the Soviet military presence. The council gradually overtook the authority of the
Ministry of War of the Russian Republic completely changing the defense policy of Russia.
Historical background
Per decree "On creation of the Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Government" the committee was headed by a collegiate of the
Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee
The Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee (russian: Петроградский военно-революционный комитет) was a militant group of the Petrograd Soviet and one of several military revolutionary committees that ...
(Petrograd VRK) "Field Headquarters" (triumvirate) consisting of
Vladimir Antonov-Ovseyenko
Vladimir Alexandrovich Antonov-Ovseenko (russian: Влади́мир Алекса́ндрович Анто́нов-Овсе́енко; ua, Володимир Антонов-Овсєєнко; 9 March 1883 – 10 February 1938), real surna ...
,
Pavel Dybenko
Pavel Efimovich Dybenko (russian: Павел Ефимович Дыбенко), (February 16, 1889 – July 29, 1938) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and a leading Soviet officer and military commander.
Prior to military service
Pavel Dybenko was b ...
and
Nikolai Krylenko
Nikolai Vasilyevich Krylenko ( rus, Никола́й Васи́льевич Крыле́нко, p=krɨˈlʲenkə; May 2, 1885 – July 29, 1938) was an Old Bolshevik and Soviet politician. Krylenko served in a variety of posts in the Soviet ...
. Ovseyenko oversaw the Military ministry and internal front, Dybenko headed the Navy ministry, while Krylenko was put in charge of foreign front. However, on the next day the leadership was increased to 10 members, due to organizational complications. The same day (November 9, 1917) Vladimir Antonov-Ovseyenko was placed in charge of the
Petrograd Military District
The Petersburg Military District (Питербургский вое́нный о́круг) was a Military District of the Russian Empire originally created in August 1864 following Order B-228 of Dmitry Milyutin, the Minister of War of the Russia ...
replacing at that post
Mikhail Artemyevich Muravyov
Mikhail Artemyevich Muravyov (russian: Михаи́л Арте́мьевич Муравьёв) ( – July 11, 1918) was a Russian officer who changed sides during the time of the Civil War.
He was born in a village of Burdukovo, near Vetluga ...
. Together with Muravyov, Antonov was placed in charge of an expeditionary force to the Southern Russia, while the acting Supreme Commander-in-Chief was General
Nikolay Dukhonin
Nikolay Nikolayevich Dukhonin (russian: Никола́й Никола́евич Духо́нин; 13 December 1876 – 3 December 1917) was a Russian general, the last commander-in-chief of the Imperial Russian Army.
Biography
Dukhonin was bo ...
.
On November 15–16, 1917 new changes took place. The committee changed its name to the ''Council of People's Commissars on War and Navy Affairs''. Originally it consisted of the college of war minister and a leader of revolutionary forces, while later a position of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief was created and by the end of November the Supreme Navy College was added to the council. On November 22, 1917 the Soviet government appointed its own Supreme Commander-in-Chief and overran the Main Headquarters of Supreme Commander-in-Chief (
Stavka) in
Mogilev
Mogilev (russian: Могилёв, Mogilyov, ; yi, מאָלעוו, Molev, ) or Mahilyow ( be, Магілёў, Mahilioŭ, ) is a city in eastern Belarus, on the Dnieper River, about from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from the bor ...
when the acting Supreme Commander-in-Chief General
Dukhonin was killed by enraged soldiers. The Military People's Commissariat was practically finalized and fully functional on December 10, 1917.
* College of War Minister -
Nikolai Podvoisky
Nikolai Ilyich Podvoisky (russian: Николай Ильич Подвойский; February 16 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S_February_4.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>O.S_February_4">Old_Style_and_New_S ...
* Commander-in-Chief of revolutionary forces against -
Vladimir Antonov-Ovseyenko
Vladimir Alexandrovich Antonov-Ovseenko (russian: Влади́мир Алекса́ндрович Анто́нов-Овсе́енко; ua, Володимир Антонов-Овсєєнко; 9 March 1883 – 10 February 1938), real surna ...
* Supreme Commander-in-Chief of Army and Fleet of the Russian Republic (November 22) -
Nikolai Krylenko
Nikolai Vasilyevich Krylenko ( rus, Никола́й Васи́льевич Крыле́нко, p=krɨˈlʲenkə; May 2, 1885 – July 29, 1938) was an Old Bolshevik and Soviet politician. Krylenko served in a variety of posts in the Soviet ...
* Supreme Navy College (formed on November 27) -
Pavel Dybenko
Pavel Efimovich Dybenko (russian: Павел Ефимович Дыбенко), (February 16, 1889 – July 29, 1938) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and a leading Soviet officer and military commander.
Prior to military service
Pavel Dybenko was b ...
Military revolutionary committees and Voyenka
{{see also, Military Revolutionary Committee
Key role in establishing the Soviet military presence played
military revolutionary committees (VRK) and the Communist Party military organization. The Soviet military majorly was based on its own military organizations of the
RSDLP(b) headed by the Military organization at Central Committee, better known as Voyenka (abbreviation derived from ''Voyennaya Kommissiya''). Upon acquiring a state power the leadership of the
RSDLP(b) adopted a decision at the
7th Congress of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) The 7th (extraordinary) Congress of the RSDLP(b) ( Russian Social Democratic Labor Party), also known as the Extraordinary 7th Congress of the RCP(b) (Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks)), was held between 6–8 March 1918. During this congress t ...
on formally disbanding of its military organizations. The military organizations were used to established local military revolutionary committees throughout cities of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
and along its frontlines. After establishing a Soviet power in the capital of Russia the council continued to rely on decisions Petrograd VRK leadership and encouraged creation of new military revolutionary committees throughout the former
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
that played a key role in solidifying of the Soviet power. By the beginning of 1918 the number of military revolutionary committees jumped to 220. In the Soviet historiography the role of Petrograd VRK was depicted as a preventative against the counter-revolution (such as the
Kerensky–Krasnov uprising) rather than an instigator of revolution.
List of Military Revolutionary Committees of Russia
* Petrograd VRK created on October 25, 1917 (existed until December 18, 1917)
* 12th Army VRK (
Cēsis
Cēsis (), (german: Wenden, liv, Venden, et, Võnnu, pl, Kieś) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river over ...
) created on October 31, 1917 (famous Latvian Riflemen)
* Estland VRK created on November 4, 1917
* Northern front VRK created on November 4–5, 1917 (until November 8 - Pskov VRK)
Out of the session protcol of the Military Revolutionary committee of November 6, 1917 (Из протокола заседания Военно-революционного комитета 6 ноября 1917 года.)
/ref>
* Moscow VRK created on November 7, 1917
* Voronezh revkom created on November 7, 1917
* Ryazan VRK created on November 8, 1917
* Western front and Northwestern region VRK (originally Minsk VRK) created on November 9, 1917
* Samara VRK created on November 9, 1917
* Tula revkom created on November 9, 1917
* Tom VRK created on November 10, 1917
* Smolensk revkom created on November 11, 1917
* Kiev VRK created on November 11, 1917
* Dagestan VRK created on November 21, 1917
* Orenburg VRK created on November 27, 1917
* Southwestern front VRK created on December 1, 1917
* Romanian front VRK created on December 15, 1917
* Barnaul VRK created on December 20, 1917
* Kharkov VRK created on December 23, 1917
* Yekaterinburg VRK
* Vinnytsia VRK
* Odessa VRK
* Simferopol VRK
* Sevastopol revkom created on December 29, 1917
* Astrakhan revkom created in January 1918
* Caucasus Army VRK created on January 10, 1918
* Don VRK created on January 23, 1918
* Kuban-Black Sea VRK created on January 30, 1918
* Semirechye (Seven rivers) VRK created on March 2, 1918
References
External links
Great Soviet Encyclopedia
The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; ) is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Bolshaya rossiyskaya e ...
Great Soviet Encyclopedia
The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; ) is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Bolshaya rossiyskaya e ...
.
* ttp://law.edu.ru/article/article.asp?articleID=151519 Borisov, V.A. ''Higher bodies of military power of the USSR in 1923 - 1991''. "Legislation" magazine. 1996.(Высшие органы военного руководства СССР (1923 - 1991 гг.) урнал "Правоведение"/1996/№ 2
Former defence ministries
Government of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Military history of Russia
1917 establishments in Russia