First All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets (Kharkiv)


First All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets was a congress of Soviets of workers, peasants, Red-army-men deputies that took place in Kharkiv on December 24-25, 1917.

Overview

On December 21, 1917 the Red Guards of the Soviet Russia led by Vladimir Antonov-Ovseyenko occupied Kharkiv. At night on December 22, 1917 the Russian Red Guards with local Bolsheviks disarmed Ukrainian military units and arrested leaders of the Kharkiv City Council and garrison. On December 23, 1917 Bolsheviks established a revkom. The headquarters of a local Red Guard was established on December 14, 1917 and was located in the Stock Exchange building at Market Square.
On December 24-25, 1917 in the :ru:Дворянское собрание |building of Noble Assembly in Kharkiv took place another First Congress of Soviets. The congress gathered initially 964 participants, amount of which later grew to 1250. The congress reviewed several issues: attitudes towards the Central Council of Ukraine, war and peace as well as about organization of military force, about Ukraine and Soviet Russia, estate and financial issues and others.
The congress approved the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk between Russian SFSR and Central Powers, declared the independence of the Soviet Ukrainian People's Republic as a federative republic of Soviet Russia, Law about socialization of land adopted by the 3rd All-Russian Congress of Soviets, "About state system", decrees on 8-hour work day and labor control, organization of the Workers-Peasant Red Army of Ukraine. The policy of the Central Council of Ukraine in the resolution "About political moment" was condemned requesting withdrawal of the Austrian and German Armed Forces from Ukraine. Participants elected the new composition of the Central Executive Committee of Ukraine of 102 members headed by Vladimir Zatonsky.

Composition

There were about 200 delegates with ruling vote and six - with consultative. Remarkable majority belonged to Bolsheviks.

Agenda

The congress elected 41 members to the Central Executive Committee, 35 of which were Bolsheviks. Twenty more seats were reserved for peasants deputies that were supposed to elected at an All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviet of peasant deputies. The head of the CVK was elected Yukhym Medvedev. The congress also established the People's Secretariat.