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The 3rd All-Russian Congress of Soviets completed its work
January 18 (31), 1918 in the Tauride Palace in Petrograd, completed its work the Third All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers', Soldiers’ and Peasants' Deputies. The main outcome of the congress was the adoption of the Declaration of Rights of Working and Exploited People - a document that provided a legal basis for the development of the first Soviet Constitution.
10 (23) January opened the Third All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, which was attended by 942 voting delegates and 104 in an advisory capacity. On the agenda were: report of the Central Executive Committee and the Soviet of People’s Commissars; adoption of the Declaration of Rights of Working and Exploited People; reports “On the federal institutions of the Russian Republic ", "On War and Peace”; the approval of the law on socialization of the land; the Central Executive Committee elections.
Having heard the accounts by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars on 11 (24) January, the delegates endorsed the policy of the Soviet government and expressed a complete confidence to it.
13 (26) January the Congress joined the Third All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Peasants' Deputies, and was now called the Third All-Russian Congress of Workers’, Soldiers’ and Peasants’ Deputies. This integration completed the process of creating a single supreme organ of the Soviet power and accelerated the merger of the workers’, soldiers’ and peasants' Soviets locally. By the end of the Congress there were 1647 delegates with a deciding vote and 219 in an advisory capacity.
The Congress decree “On the federal institutions of the Russian republic” stated the basic principles of organization of the Soviet multinational state. Congress instructed the Central Executive Committee to develop basic provisions of the Constitution of the RSFSR. 18 (31) January were approved the foundations of law on socialization of the land. The congress approved the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly and approved the new name for the Soviet government – Workers’ and Peasants' Government of the Russian Soviet Republic. By majority of votes the delegates approved the Declaration of Rights of Working and Exploited People, which became the prototype of the first Constitution of the Soviet Russia.
Thus, the 3rd All-Russian Congress of Soviets was an important milestone in the initial stage of building the world's first socialist state. "Izvestia" newspaper in those days, wrote: "Great Constituent congress of the Russian socialist revolution adopted the Declaration of Rights of Working and Exploited People, which will now serve as an immortal charter of labor ... Workers, the oppressed and exploited around the world enthusiastically greeted a solemn proclamation of the rights of labor and international solidarity of workers".
Lit.: Декларация прав трудящегося и эксплуатируемого народа // Декреты Советской власти. Т. I. М., 1957; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://www.hist.msu.ru/ER/Etext/DEKRET/declarat.htm; Ленин В. И. Третий Всероссийский съезд Советов рабочих, солдатских и крестьянских депутатов // Полное собрание сочинений. 5 изд. Т. 35. М., 1967; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: (ссылка); Малышев М. О. Третий Всероссийский съезд Советов // Правоведение. 1960. № 3; Смирнов Н. Н. 3-й съезд Советов: история созыва, состав, работа. Л., 1988; Сталин И. В. Выступления на III Всероссийском съезде Советов рабочих, солдатских и крестьянских депутатов 10-18 января 1918 г. // Сочинения: В 16 т. Т. 4. М., 1947; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://www.hrono.ru/libris/stalin/4-2.html; Съезды Советов Союза ССР, союзных и автономных Советских Социалистических Республик: Сб. документов 1917-1936. Т. 1. М., 1959.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Soviet legislation // State Authority: [digital collection];