Declaration of rights of working and exploited people adopted

On January 3 (16), 1918, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee adopted the Declaration of Rights of Working and Exploited People - constitutional act of the Soviet Republic to legislate the achievements of the October revolution and proclaimed the basic principles and objectives of the socialist state.

The Declaration draft was written by V. I. Lenin. The document was published January 4 (17), 1918 in “Pravda” № 2, and "Izvestia CEC” № 2.

The text of the Declaration was read by Y. M. Sverdlov at the opening of the Constituent Assembly on January 5 (18), 1918. The declaration proposed that the assembly confine itself to developing the “fundamental foundations of the socialist reconstruction of society” and recognize as correct all the significant revolutionary transformations proclaimed by the Soviet government, including the transfer of power to the Soviets, the proclamation of Russia as a federation of Soviet national republics, the abolition of private ownership of land, the nationalization of banks, the introduction of universal labor service and workers' control in industry, etc. In response to the refusal of the majority of the members of the Constituent Assembly to begin its work by discussing the declaration, the Bolshevik faction left the meeting room.

With some editorial changes, the declaration was adopted on January 12 (25), 1918 by the III All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. After the unification of this Congress with the III All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Peasant Deputies, the Declaration was re-approved on January 18 (31), 1918.

The Declaration consisted of four sections. The first section defined policy framework of the Soviet socialist state. Russia was proclaimed a republic of Soviets, which owned all the power in the center and locally. The Soviet Republic was established on the basis of a free union of free nations, as a federation of Soviet national republics.

The second section defined the major task of the socialist state - the building of socialism; declared was the abolition of private ownership of land, the introduction of workers' control, the nationalization of banks. The compulsory labor conscription was administered and the creation of the Red Army proclaimed.

The third section established the basic principles of foreign policy: the struggle for peace, the abolition of secret treaties of tsarist and Provisional governments, the cancellation of foreign loans obtained by them. It also approved the proclamation of Finland's independence by the Soviet of People's Commissars, declaration of freedom of self-determination of Armenia.

The fourth section declared the removal of the exploiting classes from participation in the governing of the Soviet state, workers and peasants of every nation were given the opportunity to take an independent decision about participation in the federal government and other Soviet federal institutions.

On Lenin's proposal, the Declaration was fully incorporated as the first section of the Constitution of the RSFSR, adopted July 10, 1918 at the V All-Russian Congress of Soviets.

Lit.: Декларация прав трудящегося и эксплуатируемого народа. 3 (16) января 1918 г. // Декреты Советской власти. Т. 1. М., 1957; Декларация прав трудящегося и эксплуатируемого народа // Библиотека электронных ресурсов Исторического факультета МГУ им. М.В. Ломоносова. Режим доступа: http://www.hist.msu.ru/ER/Etext/DEKRET/declarat.htm; Декларация прав трудящегося и эксплуатируемого народа // Электронная библиотека исторических документов. Режим доступа: http://docs.historyrussia.org/ru/nodes/9809; История Советского государства и права: В 3 кн. / АН СССР, Ин-т государства и права; Отв. ред. А. П. Косицын. Кн. 1: Становление Советского государства и права (1917-1920 гг.). М., 1968.

Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:

Soviet legislation //  State Authority: [digital collection];

1918: [digital collection].