Red Army formally organized

The Land Decree sanctioned the seizure of landed estates and the redistribution of land according to local peasant practice. It drew on peasant resolutions and met a long-standing demand against...

The new government declared equality and sovereignty for the peoples of Russia, a right to free self-determination up to separation, abolition of national and religious privilege, and free development...

The Central Rada’s Third Universal proclaimed the Ukrainian People’s Republic in a federal relationship with a future Russian republic. Ukrainian political leaders asserted national agency amid...

Sovnarkom recognized Finland’s independence after its declaration of separation from Russia. The decision gave practical expression to the proclaimed right of national self-determination, although the...

Sovnarkom created the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission (Cheka) to combat counterrevolution and sabotage (7 December Julian; 20 December Gregorian). The institution became a tool of political...

The elected Constituent Assembly met in Petrograd (18 January Julian; 31 January Gregorian) after the Bolsheviks performed poorly in the national vote, particularly outside major cities. When it...

The Bolshevik government signed a harsh peace treaty with the Central Powers, ceding or relinquishing extensive western territories and populations. The treaty fulfilled the promise to end Russia’s...

The Seventh Party Congress renamed the Bolshevik organization the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks). The change reflected the party’s claim to lead an international socialist transformation after...

The Soviet government transferred the capital from Petrograd to Moscow, citing military vulnerability and logistical concerns. The move shifted the state’s political center inland and placed Moscow at...

The Fifth All-Russian Congress adopted the constitution of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. It formally described a federation and placed power in soviets, while excluding “exploiting...