Pre-Parliament (Provisional Council of the Russian Republic)
예비의회 (공화국 임시평의회)
A representative body established in September 1917 by the All-Russian Democratic Conference as a consultative organ under the Provisional Government. Officially the Provisional Council of the Russian Republic, it was widely called the Pre-Parliament (Предпарламент) and was meant to hold the government accountable until the Constituent Assembly convened, but in practice it had no binding authority over the cabinet. Lenin denounced it as a 'trap to divert the masses from the revolution' and demanded a boycott; the Bolsheviks walked out on its opening day, October 20, 1917, with Trotsky's declaration, and it was dissolved by the armed insurrection on November 7.
In depth
Background
The All-Russian Democratic Conference (September 14–22, 1917 O.S.) was convened to resolve the governmental crisis following the suppression of the Kornilov affair, but after contentious debates over whether to include the Kadets (Constitutional Democrats) in a new coalition, it failed to produce a clear mandate. At its close, on September 20 (October 3), the presidium decided to form an All-Russian Democratic Council (Всероссийский демократический совет) by allocating seats proportionally to each faction and group within the Conference. On October 2 (15), the Provisional Government approved the Statute on the Provisional Council of the Russian Republic, formally establishing the body; it also added representatives from 'qualified' (property-owning) institutions: Kadets, trade and industrial associations, and landowner unions, swelling the membership from the originally planned 313 to 555.
Composition and Character
By party: approximately 135 Socialist Revolutionaries, 92 Mensheviks, 75 Kadets, 58 Bolsheviks, and 30 Popular Socialists. The right SR Nikolai Avksentiev was elected chairman. The Pre-Parliament met in public sessions at the Marinsky Palace and operated through twelve standing commissions covering defense, foreign affairs, land, finance, and nationalities, among others. But as Menshevik leader Fedor Dan later noted, the Provisional Government's resistance gutted the oversight powers originally envisioned by the Soviet Central Executive Committee, leaving the Council with 'formally only the rights of an advisory body.' Cadet leader Pavel Milyukov recalled that at the first session, members looked around and said to one another: 'If only the Constituent Assembly turns out no worse than this.'
The Bolshevik Walkout and Dissolution
Within the Bolshevik Party, opinion was split. The 'right' wing led by Lev Kamenev argued for using the Pre-Parliament as a platform for legal struggle, while Trotsky insisted that participating in a body hand-picked from above meant legitimizing the Provisional Government. From hiding in Finland, Lenin intervened decisively with his polemic 'From a Publicist's Diary: The Mistakes of Our Party' (September 22–24), branding participation a 'shameful mistake' and demanding boycott. On October 5 (18), the Central Committee reversed its position. On the opening day, October 7 (20), Trotsky read a declaration on behalf of the Bolshevik faction: 'With this government of popular betrayal we have nothing in common,' and led 53 deputies out of the hall. The majority jeered 'Good riddance!', but the left recognized the walkout as the signal that revolution was imminent. On October 24 (November 6), Kerensky addressed the Pre-Parliament to report on the Bolshevik insurrection and request a vote of confidence; after hours of factional wrangling, only a lukewarm resolution of 'conditional support' passed. The next day, October 25 (November 7), the Military Revolutionary Committee surrounded the Marinsky Palace and ordered the Pre-Parliament to disperse, ending its brief eighteen-day existence.
Related historical events
Sources
- Wikipedia (RU) Russian Wikipedia: full history of the Pre-Parliament, its creation by the Democratic Conference on 20 Sept (3 Oct) 1917, composition (555 members, 58 Bolsheviks), Bolshevik walkout on 7 (20) Oct, and dissolution on 25 Oct (7 Nov).
- Wikipedia (EN) English Wikipedia: confirms establishment, presidium under Avksentiev, advisory character, meeting at Marinsky Palace, and dissolution by Bolsheviks.
- hrono.ru Hrono.ru historical encyclopedia: detailed account of the Pre-Parliament's creation at the Democratic Conference, Kerensky's opening speech, the Bolshevik walkout of 53 deputies, and the failure of social-cooperation politics.
- prlib.ru Presidential Library of Russia: official account with Statute details, original 313-seat plan, expansion to 555 seats, twelve commissions, Bolshevik withdrawal decision of 5 (18) Oct, and dissolution by the Military Revolutionary Committee.
- cambridge.org Sablin, Nationalities Papers (2023): scholarly analysis of the Democratic Conference and Pre-Parliament debates, showing how class and nationality grievances doomed the attempt at a postimperial political community and cleared the path for Bolshevik insurrection.