The Bolsheviks in Power: The First Year of Soviet Rule in Petrograd

CHRONOLOGY OF KEY EVENTS

CHRONOLOGY OF KEY EVENTS 1917 October 25–27 Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets 29 Military Revolutionary Committee (MRC) suppresses anti-Soviet uprising in Petrograd 29–5 November Vikzhel-sponsored talks on broadening government 30 Red forces repulse General Krasnov’s Cossacks supporting Kerensky at Pulkovo November 3–4 Bolshevik moderates resign from party Central Committee and the Sovnarkom 12–14 Elections to the Constituent Assembly in Petrograd 13 Zinoviev becomes chair of Petrograd Soviet 15 All-Russian Executive Committee of Peasants’ Soviets merges with the CEC 17–9 December Negotiations between Bolsheviks and Left SRs result in the formation of a coalition 19–28 First Left SR National Congress 22 Armistice between Russia and the Central Powers 28 Original opening date for the Constituent Assembly; arrests of Kadets begin December 1 Bolshevik moderates gain control of the party’s Constituent Assembly fraction 5 MRC abolished 7 SovnarkomcreatesAll-RussianExtraordinaryCommissionfor Combating Counterrevolution, Speculation, and Sabotage (VCheka) 9 Formal peace negotiations with the Central Powers begin in BrestLitovsk 12 Bolshevik moderates purged from leadership of party’s Constituent Assembly fraction 16 Arrests and harassment of moderate socialist delegates to the Constituent Assembly intensify 404 / Chronology of Key Events 1918 January 1 Failed attempt to assassinate Lenin 3–4 Martial law declared in Petrograd 5 Soviet security forces fire on mass demonstrations supporting Constituent Assembly 5–6 Constituent Assembly meets and is forcibly dispersed 8 Start of a bitter two-month conflict within Bolshevik leadership and between Leninists and Left SRs over separate peace 10–18 Third All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies 12–21 Major wave of political strikes in Western and Central Europe 13 Third All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Peasants’ Deputies merges with Third All-Russian Congress of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies 15 Formation of Red Army begins 28 Trotsky refuses to sign “obscene” peace, and Soviet delegation leaves Brest-Litovsk February 1/14 Russia switches from Julian calendar to the Western Gregorian calendar 17–20 Fourth City Conference of Petrograd Bolsheviks 18 Germans resume offensive on Eastern Front, meeting little resistance 18/19 Germany’s annexationist peace terms accepted, but its attack continues 20 Sovnarkom issues proclamation, “The Socialist Fatherland Is in Danger!” 21/22 Petrograd declared under siege 24 New, harsher German peace terms accepted by Soviet goverment German forces continue unimpeded advance—Petrograd appears threatened 26 Sovnarkom resolves to move capital to Moscow March 3 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed 6–8 Seventh All-Russian Bolshevik Party Congress approves Brest treaty 10/11 Soviet government and Bolshevik and Left SR leadership flee Petrograd for Moscow 11 Sovkom of the Petrograd Labor Commune (SK PTK) formed 13 Extraordinary Assembly of Delegates from Petrograd Factories and Plants (EAD) holds first of nineteen plenary meetings 15–16 Fourth All-Russian Congress of Soviets meets; ratifies Brest treaty Chronology of Key Events / 405 18 Left SRs and Left Communists resign from Sovnarkom 20 Emergency Fifth City Conference of Petrograd Bolsheviks April 17–25 Second All-Russian Left SR Party Congress meets; endorses withdrawal of Left SRs from Sovnarkom 24–14 May Crisis over fate of Fort Ino 26–29 First Northern Oblast Congress of Soviets meets; creates “Northern Commune” with Bolshevik–Left SR coalition government, the Sovkom of the Northern Oblast (SK SO) May 8–12 Unrest among Petrograd workers over drastic food shortages reaches new highs 9 German occupation of Petrograd again appears imminent Policy of forming food procurement detachments to seize surplus grain from peasants by force instituted 10 Lenin issues the first of several appeals for Petrograd to furnish thousands of workers for food procurement detachments 25 Rebellion of Czech Legion along Trans-Siberian railway erupts June 8 Decree on Committees of the Village Poor (kombedy) adopted 8–10 Sixth City Conference of Petrograd Bolsheviks 10 Fifth All-Russian Congress of Soviets scheduled to convene on 28 June 14 Mensheviks and SRs expelled from CEC 17–28 Elections to Petrograd Soviet 20 Volodarskii assassinated 22 Failed rebellion of Obukhov workers and mine-laying flotilla 24 Left SR Central Committee adopts contingency plan to assassinate German officials in Russia to provoke resumption of war with Germany 26–2 July EAD plans general strike but is suppressed by government; movement shut down 29 Red Army draft begins July 4–10 Fifth All-Russian Congress of Soviets in Moscow 6 Count Mirbach assassinated by Left SRs 7 Bolshevik authorities in Moscow and Petrograd suppress...