The Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia: the Date and History of the Creation

The Bolsheviks, having won a victory over the tsarist regime, received at their complete disposal the entire state apparatus. First of all, new representatives of the authorities began printing documents and decrees, one of which was the declaration of the rights of the peoples of Russia. Considering the fact that the imperial territories were united with neighboring states, it was necessary to take into account the interests of new citizens. Formally, new nationalities of Russia were recognized, all were equalized in rights and bound by common duties.

How it all began

The formation of the Soviet totalitarian regime took place under public slogans about universal emancipation. From their owners were free peasants, generals - soldiers, from capitalists - workers. It was these positions that became the basis on which very soon a declaration of the rights of the peoples of Russia was drawn up.

The history of creation is also based on the fact that during the time of imperialism, various strata of the population were opposed to each other. There was a clear division into castes depending on the pedigree, the volume of family capital and nationality. Quite often representatives of various strata of the population were at enmity, and it reached the blood. Bolshevitskaya policy was such that all the nationalities of Russia, all socio-economic castes did not differ from each other. Lenin's followers regarded this enmity as a black mark on the country's reputation.

The main provisions of the document

Today, looking at the past of our country, we can say with full confidence that some of the actions of the communist government, especially at the initial stages of its rule, were very reckless. For the ruling elite, the essence of the declaration of the rights of the peoples of Russia was evident, and they counted on the fact that every person from the people, a peasant and a landowner, could understand it in equal measure.

The Bolsheviks believed that by giving freedom to all people who live on the territory of the country, they will retain them, will enable them to independently develop and prosper. In fact, it turned out that people who had been in critically unequal positions for hundreds of years, were simply furious with such news. After the declaration of the rights of the peoples of Russia was officially proclaimed, the state plunged into chaos.

Day of publication

Personally, Vladimir Lenin proclaimed the declaration of the rights of the peoples of Russia on November 2, 1917 (according to the old style). The leader personally signed it with his successor, IV. Stalin recognized it as an official state document. The Declaration was signed on behalf of the Russian Federation. It should be noted that the commissariat came to this decision on July 7 of the same year, after the first Congress of Soviets in the city of Petrograd ended.

During the second congress, all the conditions for the adoption of this decree were discussed in more detail. Also, as a supplement, a peace decree was signed prohibiting citizens from solving any issues through armed conflicts.

The main provisions of the declaration

This document was a kind of manual for carrying out domestic policy and further reforms. There were only four points in it, and later the interim government envisaged the expansion of this list:

1. Equality and sovereignty of the peoples of Russia.
2. All the peoples of Russia had the right to free self-expression and self-determination, up to separation from the central state apparatus and the creation of a separate country.
3. All religious, national and even cultural restrictions were cut off. From now on, every citizen had the full right to self-expression.
4. All national minorities, as well as ethnographic groups that resided on the territory of Russia, received equal rights with the indigenous Slavs, that is, racism was completely eliminated.

Consequences of adoption

As soon as the declaration of the rights of the peoples of Russia was proclaimed, the results of its influence manifested themselves immediately. The country broke up literally before our eyes, like a puzzle. All the territories that great rulers over the centuries have won and annexed, have sharply declared their sovereignty.

Finland was the first to leave Russia, followed by the Baltic countries. Then they began to proclaim their independence in Ukraine, as well as in all Cossack regions, that is, in Zaporozhye and the Kuban. The latter disconnected from the center of the Caucasus, which was literally beaten by the war in the last hundred years. To tell the truth, the Bolsheviks expected the opposite result. Such chaos was the reason for further reforms, which had already been taken in light of past mistakes.

Temporary trick

Soon the declaration of the rights of the peoples of Russia was slightly modified. It was assumed that only those peoples who voluntarily joined the Soviet Union and assumed the status of a republic can declare independence. They had to obey the central administration, but they had the right to write their own laws, create separate, local institutions of government.

Some ethnic associations voluntarily signed acts on joining the Soviets, but those countries that had already disengaged themselves categorically opposed this.

Military seizures

Peoples who refused to voluntarily sign the act of joining the Union were subjected to military violence. For the Bolsheviks, this was the only way to subdue the territories on which people rebelled and renounced their protection. It is clear that at this stage of the formation of the USSR, the declaration of the rights of the peoples of Russia has long been forgotten. The main concern of the authorities was the unification and centralization, and later the introduction of a totalitarian regime. Some territories, formerly part of the Empire, resisted the Red Army soldiers. But, as history showed, it did not make any sense.

Everything was exactly the opposite

Endless riots, the desire to secede from the center, self-proclamation and other similar actions were not included in the plans of the Soviets. After the USSR was already clearly formed a full-fledged and unified state, the Constitution appeared in paragraphs opposite to the provisions of the previously published declaration.

Strangely enough, the Bolsheviks returned to the unitary practice of government by a country that was inherent in their predecessors-emperors. All local governments were directly connected to the Kremlin, laws in individual republics could no longer be adopted without the approval of the commissariat. Thus, the new government ran from one extreme to the other, encouraging the people of independence and taking it immediately. In a strict unitary and totalitarian regime, all the Soviet republics, as we know, spent 70 years.

Revolution of 1917. School program

This material, in fact, is not complex and voluminous. Remember it easily. But the student, who is preparing to pass the exam, it is necessary to keep in memory a lot of similar moments from the history of our country. How quickly to orient and answer the question about what proclaimed the declaration of the rights of the peoples of Russia? The test can give you a tip in the form of a date, the founders of this document, or the problem on the basis of which it was created. If it is necessary to give a detailed answer, then you will find it in the question itself.

It is worth remembering that at the time of the creation of the USSR numerous national associations were included in the country. The next clue is right. This means that the people were given certain privileges, therefore, it became more free.

Brief conclusions

1917 for Russia was, perhaps, the most critical in modern history. For an incredibly short period of time, several official names of the country changed, regimes and types of government replaced each other like pictures in silent cinema, then people were restricted in freedom, then released on all four sides, then again shackled. The declaration of the rights of the peoples of Russia is just one drop in this bottomless ocean, which received a loud and culminating name - "Revolution".