All-Russian Congress of the Councils and the return of V. I. Lenin to Russia

All-Russian Congress of the Councils and the return of V. I. Lenin to Russia

The first after the February Revolution all-Russian assembly of representatives of the Councils (Soviets) of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies (All-Russian Congress of the Councils) has taken place in Petrograd from March 29 (April 11) to April 3 (April 16). 480 delegates from 139 Councils (Soviets), 13 rear military units, 7 army field forces and 26 separate units of the front attended the meeting. The meeting was convened at the initiative of the Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet (city council) of Workers 'and Soldiers' Deputies. The problems of the attitude toward war and peace, the organization of revolutionary forces, the food supplies issue, and other questions were discussed. V. I. Ulyanov (Lenin) arrived in Petrograd on the last day of the Congress, after nine years of emigration; on April 4 (17), he announced his “April theses” at the meeting of the Bolsheviks - delegates to the Congress.

Included are the materials on the party's strategy and tactics on the occasion of the tenth anniversary date of the April’s conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party - RSDLP (b), V. D. Bonch-Bruevich's reminiscences of V. I. Lenin, the protocols of the Seventh (April) All-Russian Conference of the RSDLP (Bolsheviks’), Lenin's speech at the 1st and the 2nd All-Russian Congress of Peasants' Deputies; draft resolutions of the Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet (city council) of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies on the convening of a meeting of representatives of the Executive Committee with representatives of local Soviets (of the main cities) with the agenda of this meeting, abstracts on the standpoints towards war and peace, revolutionary democracy and public authorities, shorthand records of the meetings at the Congress, and so on.