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
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
(RSFSR), the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
(USSR), and the
Soviet republics
The Republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the Union Republics ( rus, Сою́зные Респу́блики, r=Soyúznye Respúbliki) were national-based administrative units of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( ...
from 1917 to 1946.
The
Sovnarkom of the RSFSR was founded in the
Russian Republic soon 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 ...
in 1917 and its role was formalized in the
1918 Constitution of the RSFSR to be responsible to the
Congress of Soviets of the RSFSR for the "general administration of the affairs of the state". Unlike its predecessor the
Russian Provisional Government which had representatives of various political parties, the Sovnarkom was a government of a single party, the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
. The
Sovnarkom of the USSR and
Congress of Soviets of the USSR founded in 1922 were modelled on the RSFSR system, and identical Sovnarkom bodies were founded in the Soviet republics and
autonomous republics. The Sovnarkom evolved into the main executive of the
government of the Soviet Union with its head, the
Premier of the USSR, serving as
head of government
The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...
. The Sovnarkom issued decrees having the force of law when the Congress was not in session, and if these decrees were not approved at the Congress's next session, they were considered revoked. The principles of
democratic centralism meant the Congress merely
rubber-stamped Sovnarkom decrees at its next session.
The Sovnarkom was dissolved and transformed into the
Council of Ministers in 1946.
Original People's Commissars
The first council elected by the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets was composed as follows. Many early
commisars later opposed the party majority organized by Stalin and allegedly conspired with the Trotskyist opposition or some other opposition group, which resulted in their expulsion from the party or being arrested. The party had banned factional opposition groups at the
Eleventh Party Congress during 1921. Still the original People's Comissariat included Left-Communists, Trotskyists and other ex-oppositionists. Most alleged conspirators were executed for treason during the
Great Purge
The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Yezhov'), was Soviet General Secret ...
, some had sentences reduced to imprisonment.
All-Union Sovnarkom
Upon the creation of the USSR in 1922, the
Soviet Union's government was modelled after the first Sovnarkom. The
Soviet republics
The Republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the Union Republics ( rus, Сою́зные Респу́блики, r=Soyúznye Respúbliki) were national-based administrative units of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( ...
retained their own governments which dealt with domestic matters.
Sovmin
In 1946, the Sovnarkoms were transformed into the
Council of Ministers (Sovmin) at both
all-Union and
Union Republic
The Republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the Union Republics ( rus, Сою́зные Респу́блики, r=Soyúznye Respúbliki) were national-based administrative units of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( ...
level.
Councils by administrative division
*
Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union
The Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union was the highest collegial body of executive and administrative authority of the Soviet Union from 1923 to 1946.
As the government of the Soviet Union, the Council of People's Commissars of th ...
Soviet republics
*
Council of People's Commissars of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
*
Council of People's Commissars (Ukraine) (Temporary government of Workers and Peasants of Ukraine)
*
Council of People's Commissars of Belarus, including LitBel
*
Council of People's Commissars of Azerbaijan
*
Council of People's Commissars (Armenia)
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 ...
*
Council of People's Commissars (Bukhara)
*
Council of People's Commissars (Khorezm)
*
Council of People's Commissars (Georgia)
*
Council of People's Commissars (Turkestan)
*
Council of People's Commissars (Transcaucasia)
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 ...
*
Council of People's Commissars (Kazakhstan), including as autonomous Kyrgyz (before 1925)
*
Council of People's Commissars (Turkmenistan)
*
Council of People's Commissars (Kyrgyzstan), including as autonomous Kyrgyz (after 1925)
*
Council of People's Commissars (Uzbekistan)
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 ...
*
Council of People's Commissars (Tajikistan), including as autonomous
*
Council of People's Commissars (Karelia-Finland), including as autonomous Karelia
*
Council of People's Commissars (Moldova), including as autonomous
*
Council of People's Commissars of the Lithuanian SSR
*
Council of People's Commissars (Latvia)
*
Council of People's Commissars (Estonia)
Autonomous republics
* Council of People's Commissars (Adjara)
* Council of People's Commissars (
Volga German)
* Council of People's Commissars (Bashkorstan)
* Council of People's Commissars (Buryat-Mongolia)
* Council of People's Commissars (Mountainous)
* Council of People's Commissars (Dagestan)
* Council of People's Commissars (Kabardin-Balkaria), including Kabardin (1944-1957)
* Council of People's Commissars (Cossack)
* Council of People's Commissars (Kalmykia)
* Council of People's Commissars (Karakalpakistan)
* Council of People's Commissars (Komi)
* Council of People's Commissars (Crimea)
* Council of People's Commissars (Mari)
* Council of People's Commissars (Mordva)
* Council of People's Commissars (Nakhichevan)
* Council of People's Commissars (North Osetia)
* Council of People's Commissars (Tatarstan)
* Council of People's Commissars (Tuva)
* Council of People's Commissars (Udmurtia)
* Council of People's Commissars (Chechnia-Ingushetia)
* Council of People's Commissars (Chuvashia)
* Council of People's Commissars (Yakutia)
* Council of People's Commissars (Abkhazia), including as autonomous
Short-lived early soviet republics
* Council of People's Commissars (Donetsk-Krivoi Rog)
* Council of People's Commissars (Odessa), initially as
Rumcherod
Rumcherod () was a self-proclaimed and short-lived organ of Soviet power in the South-Western part of Russian Empire that functioned during May 1917–May 1918. The name stands as the Russian language abbreviation for its full name Central Exe ...
* Council of People's Commissars (Poland)
* Council of People's Commissars (Galicia)
* Council of People's Commissars (
Far East
The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.
The ter ...
)
*
Council of People's Secretaries (
Soviet Ukraine)
See also
*
26 Baku Commissars
The 26 Baku Commissars were Bolshevik and Left Socialist Revolutionary (SR) members of the Baku Commune. The commune was established in the city of Baku, which was then the capital of the briefly independent Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, and ...
*
Government of the Soviet Union
*
Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union
*
First Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union
The First Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union was the deputy head of government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR); despite the title, the office was not necessarily held by a single individual. The office had three different name ...
*
Executive Officer of the Soviet Union The Administrator of Affairs of the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union and Council of Labour and Defense (russian: Управляющие делами Совета Народных Комиссаров Союза ССР и Совет ...
*
Council of Ministers
*
Cabinet of Ministers
A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countrie ...
References
External links
Governments of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from 1917–1964an
*
Lenin as Head of Government', an English-language Soviet book on Lenin's activities as Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars
{{Authority control
Government of Russia
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
1917 establishments in Russia
1946 disestablishments in the Soviet Union
Government agencies established in 1917
Government agencies disestablished in 1946