What does "Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense" mean? Activities of the Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense under the chairmanship of V.I. Lenin in the quartering of Red Army troops and providing them with housing allowances

L. Trotsky. CREATION OF THE WORKERS' AND PEASANTS' RED ARMY (Report at the V Congress of Soviets at the meeting on July 10, 1918) Our opponents, and especially our enemies - although one can say that in the course of the revolution our opponents turn into our enemies - accused us of what we

For almost six months after the creation of the armed forces of the RSFSR, the Red Army fought under the leadership of the government without any special emergency military bodies. The severe military crisis of August 1918 showed that even the energetic work of the Council of People's Commissars could not provide an immediate response to new threats.

What was required was not just a reform of the military-political leadership, but the mobilization of the entire country. This idea was formulated in the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of September 2, 1918, “The Soviet Republic is a military camp.”

However, the first measures concerned exclusively the command of the Red Army. Thus the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic (RMRC) and the position of Supreme Commander-in-Chief were established. Meanwhile, a center for operational control of the rear of the warring country was required. To lead this body, the authority of V.I. Lenin was necessary, but in early September he came to his senses after being wounded. It took time to recover.

Only on November 30, 1918, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee adopted a resolution on the creation of the Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense (SRKO). This document said: “It is necessary to provide the army with supplies and for this to increase labor productivity. It is necessary to provide food to the army and navy, as well as Moscow, Petrograd and all other centers of formation and labor. To do this, it is necessary to force all food and railway authorities in the center and on places to work with the highest tension and highest conscientiousness."

It followed from this that the primary economic tasks would be military-industrial, food and transport. They were to be decided by the Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense headed by V.I. Lenin.

Based on the intended goals, the new body included “... the Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, Comrade Trotsky, the People’s Commissar of Communications, Comrade Nevsky, the Deputy People’s Commissar for Food, Comrade Bryukhanov, the Chairman of the Extraordinary Commission for Supply Production, Comrade Krasin (or their deputies) and the representative of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Soviets, Comrade Stalin."

It is noteworthy that Stalin entered the SRKO not as the People's Commissar for Nationalities, but as a member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. Secretary of the Council of People's Commissars L.A. Fotieva was appointed secretary of the new body. The interaction between the Defense Council and the government was facilitated by the fact that both authorities worked under the chairmanship of V.I. Lenin. Thus, SRKO turned into the military-economic presidium of the Council of People's Commissars.

The emergency of the situation was emphasized by the first decisions of the new body. On December 8, 1918, the Defense Council adopted the Resolution “On the accurate and prompt execution of orders of the central government and the elimination of clerical red tape.”

According to this decision, Soviet institutions were obliged to transmit most orders not in the form of official letters, but by telephone or telephone messages. The implementation of each order had to be verified. As usual, the perpetrators were warned about possible prosecution “to the fullest extent of revolutionary laws.” There was no doubt about the seriousness of this warning.

The Defense Council did not limit itself to clerical issues. On December 14, 1918, he adopted the Resolution “On the arrests of responsible officials and specialists carried out by the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission,” significantly limiting the rights of the emergency commissions.

From this moment on, the Cheka had to coordinate this issue with the institutions in which the suspects worked before arresting Soviet leaders or technical specialists. In December 1918, the People's Commissariat of Justice of the RSFSR developed a draft reform of the Cheka and revolutionary tribunals, which implied a redistribution of powers between these institutions in favor of the courts.

In January 1919, the staff of the Cheka was reduced, which included the abolition of county emergency commissions. In accordance with the proposals of the People's Commissariat of Justice, on February 17, 1919, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee adopted a resolution "On the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission", according to which the right to pass sentences in all cases arising in the All-Russian Cheka was transferred to the revolutionary tribunals.

The judicial authorities were given the right to verify the investigative actions of the Cheka and the legality of the detention of those arrested. The security officers retained the right of direct reprisal to suppress counter-revolutionary and bandit actions, as well as in areas declared under martial law.

Thus, the emergency powers of individual bodies were limited in favor of the highest military-economic center. Measures were also taken to strengthen control over army leadership. On December 25, 1918, the Central Committee of the RCP (b) adopted a special resolution “On the policy of the military department,” which reminded members of the RVSR that the military policy is carried out on the basis of directives of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) and under its direct control.

The issues of combating desertion, organizing mobilization and military training (Vsevobuch) were also transferred to the jurisdiction of the SRKO. On December 25, 1918, the Defense Council adopted a resolution “On desertion”, for the implementation of which a Central Temporary Commission was established consisting of representatives of the All-Russian General Staff, the All-Russian Bureau of Military Commissars and the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs. From now on, punishments were established for deserters, starting with “cash deductions” and ending with execution. According to this decision, harborers of deserters were punished with forced labor for up to five years.

The measures were strict, but difficult to implement, since many conscripts, as in 1917, evaded service. It is not surprising that SRKO returned to this issue several times. On March 3, 1919, a decree of the Defense Council “On measures to combat desertion” was issued, which established the responsibility of officials for harboring deserters and improperly combating desertion in the form of imprisonment for up to five years.

On June 3, 1919, another decree “On measures to eradicate desertion” was adopted, which toughened penalties. A seven-day period was established for the voluntary appearance of deserters, after which they could be shot. Officials guilty of evading military service have also become more severely punished.

At the same time, the Defense Council ensured the mobilization of those liable for military service, using the pre-revolutionary conscription system. On May 12, 1919, a resolution was adopted “On the conscription of soldiers of the disbanded old army who returned or are returning from captivity” for military service, taking into account the fact that the health of former prisoners did not always allow them to be called up again. New recruits were also called up.

In order to prepare a new replenishment of the SRKO, on September 24, 1919, based on the decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee “On compulsory training in the art of war,” a resolution “On the organization of General Military Training of Workers” was adopted. A little earlier, on August 6, 1919, the RVSR adopted a resolution “On the conscription of citizens born in 1901 for military service.”

On December 31, 1919, the SRKO issued a decree “On the conscription of citizens born in 1888, 1887 and 1886 for military service.” Former officers were mobilized together with ordinary Red Army soldiers.

On March 5, 1920, the SRKO adopted a resolution “On the appearance for conscription of persons hiding their former officer rank,” which set the deadline for appearance as April 1, 1920, after which the hiding officers were expected to be punished “to the fullest extent of the revolutionary laws of wartime.” As a result of these measures, the strength of the Red Army almost tripled compared to the end of 1918.

The mobilization of people was carried out simultaneously with the mobilization of scarce resources. Specific activities were carried out by the Defense Council with the help of extraordinary commissioners.

A special role was played by the Supply Commission headed by L.B. Krasin, through whose efforts the Red Army received weapons and ammunition from pre-revolutionary reserves and new production.

The Special Committee for the implementation of martial law on the railways of the republic and the Central Commission for the search and distribution of premises for the Red Army operated under the SRKO.

In order to overcome the fuel crisis, on November 19, 1919, the Defense Council adopted the Resolution “On natural, labor and horse-drawn service.” All male citizens aged from 35 to 50 years and women from 18 to 40 years old, except those with disabilities, were involved in the procurement, loading and unloading of fuel. Work within the framework of labor service was paid in accordance with the tariffs of the relevant trade unions.

The number of issues resolved by the Defense Council increased as the situation at the front worsened. Usually, meetings of the SRKO were held twice a week under the chairmanship of V.I. Lenin (with the exception of two cases). Decisions were made by majority vote. Urgent issues could be resolved through a survey followed by approval at a meeting of the Defense Council.

Some decisions of the SRKO were of a purely special nature. For example, on March 17, 1919, based on the report of S.D. Markov, a table of the arrival of wagons with coal and food in Moscow was compiled. On April 7, 1919, a decision was made to grant the Russian Red Cross Society the right of independent procurement. On the same day, a resolution of the Defense Council on the registration of horses was signed. One way or another, such decisions were related to defense issues.

Some decisions were public. So on May 31, 1919, V.I. Lenin, as Chairman of the SRKO, signed together with F.E. Dzerzhinsky the famous appeal “Beware of spies!” (“Death to spies!”), immediately published in the press.

As the situation at the front improved, the importance of the Defense Council decreased. It was easier to resolve issues of economic restoration in the Council of People's Commissars, without resorting to emergency powers and without rushing. And the Chairman of the SRKO himself considered the military-economic superstructure over the government unnecessary. Already on April 7, 1920, the Defense Council was renamed the Defense and Labor Council, and on April 14 - the Labor and Defense Council (STO).

On December 22, 1920, V.I. Lenin, speaking at the VIII Congress of Soviets, proposed: “The Council of Labor and Defense was considered something almost equal to the Council of People’s Commissars. Let’s abandon this idea. Let it be a commission under the Council of People’s Commissars. We will eliminate a lot of friction and "We will win the proximity of actual implementation. If any member of the Council of People's Commissars is not satisfied, submit it to the Council of People's Commissars, because it can be convened in a few hours."

No one began to argue with the Chairman of the STO. Thus, after the VIII Congress of Soviets, the once all-powerful body turned into a government commission dealing with a narrower range of issues. Only two decades later, in an emergency situation, the Soviet government was forced to create a similar body - the State Defense Committee (GKO).

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It was reorganized into the Council of Labor and Defense of the RSFSR (later - the USSR (STO USSR)).

History and activities

During the years of the Civil War and military intervention in Soviet Russia, in parallel with the constitutional ones (the All-Russian Congress of Soviets, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR, the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, local Soviets and their executive committees), emergency supreme and local authorities were created. The Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense was formed in execution.

The Defense Council was the main emergency military-economic and planning center of the Republic during the war. The activities of the Revolutionary Military Council and other military bodies were placed under the control of the Council.

V.I. Lenin was appointed Chairman of the Defense Council, as Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR. In addition to him, the Council included: Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic L. D. Trotsky, People's Commissar of Railways V. I. Nevsky, Deputy People's Commissar of Food N. P. Bryukhanov, Chairman of the Extraordinary Commission for the Production of Supplies (later - the Extraordinary Commission for Supply of the Red Army ) L. B. Krasin and representative of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee I. V. Stalin. Secretary of the Council of People's Commissars L.A. Fotieva was appointed secretary of the Council.

The main feature of the emergency body of the Civil War was that it did not replace party, government and military bodies, but performed, first of all, coordinating functions. In particular, the relationship between the Defense Council and the Council of People's Commissars was determined by the inclusion of all members of the former in the composition of the latter and the general chairmanship. Thanks to this, the Council became virtually a permanent military-economic committee of the workers' and peasants' government.

“The Council is responsible for coordinating and strengthening the activities of departments in the field of ensuring the country’s defense and economic construction”

In its work, the Council relied on the institution of extraordinary commissioners. The resolutions of the Defense Council were binding on central and local departments and institutions, and on all citizens.

The activities of the Council mainly concerned topics related to the war, such as the fight against desertion, the organization of mobilization, Vsevobuch, etc. The Council was tasked with increasing labor productivity everywhere to supply the army, providing food for the army, navy, Moscow, Petrograd and other industrial centers, the uninterrupted operation of food and transport authorities, the establishment of military discipline in the army, navy, food and transport sectors. One of the most important areas was legislative support for the effective functioning of the state apparatus, full and timely implementation by local authorities of the directives of senior management. In order to solve the assigned tasks, appropriate committees and commissions were created and operated under the Council.

Thus, at the end of December 1918, to directly implement measures to combat desertion, a Central Temporary Commission was established consisting of representatives of the All-Russian General Staff, the All-Russian Bureau of Military Commissars and the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs. In the resolutions adopted by the Council “On desertion”, “On measures to combat desertion” and “On measures to eradicate desertion”, it was equated with betrayal and qualified as one of the most serious and shameful crimes.

In war conditions, the key issue was maintaining and replenishing the number of troops. Attempts to found a multimillion-dollar Red Army on a voluntary basis under the slogan “The Socialist Fatherland is in danger!” were unsuccessful, it was necessary to make a quick transition to mobilization. Based on this need, on May 29, 1918, on the basis of the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee “On forced recruitment into the Workers' and Peasants' Army,” conscription into the Red Army began. Having received the appropriate powers, the Defense Council on May 12, 1919 adopted the Resolution “On the conscription of soldiers of the disbanded old army who have returned or are returning from captivity” to military service. The same goals were served by the Resolutions of the Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense “On the conscription of citizens born in 1901 for military service”, “On the conscription of citizens born in 1888, 1887 and 1886”, “On the appearance of persons for conscription hiding their former officer rank” and others. All conscription evaders and those harboring them were subject to severe liability based on the laws of the military-revolutionary era.

As a result, if in the middle of 1918 there were 378 thousand people under arms in the Red Army, by the end of the year - 1700 thousand, then by the end of 1919 there were 4400 thousand people in it, and in 1920 - already 5300 thousand

Undoubtedly necessary in the conditions of mass military conscription was a system of compulsory military training of citizens - Vsevobuch (universal military training). The decision to create it was made in March 1918 by the VII Congress of the RCP(b) and the IV Extraordinary Congress of Soviets, and the legal form was the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of April 22, 1918 “On compulsory training in the art of war.” In order to clarify the provisions of the Decree, on September 24, 1919, the Defense Council adopted the Resolution “On the organization of General Military Training of Workers.”

Under the general leadership of the supply commission headed by L. B. Krasin in the second half of 1918, the Red Army received from the supply authorities, using the reserves of the old army and new production, over 2 thousand guns, about 4.5 million shells, 8 thousand machine guns, over 900 thousand rifles, more than 500 million cartridges, 75.5 thousand revolvers, over 1.5 million revolver cartridges, about 1 million hand grenades.

Under the Defense Council, in addition to those mentioned above, there was a Special Committee for the implementation of martial law on the railways of the republic, the Central Commission for the search and distribution of premises for the Red Army and others.

In order to ensure the effective functioning of the state apparatus, the full and timely implementation by local authorities of the directives of senior management, on December 8, 1918, the Council adopted the Resolution “On the accurate and prompt execution of orders of the central government and the elimination of clerical red tape.” Regional and local Soviet institutions were required to carry out the decrees and orders of the central government accurately and unquestioningly. The excessively expanded departmental correspondence and clerical red tape that was slowing down work in the center and locally were ordered to be nipped in the bud. The orders of the central government had to be carried out quickly, without delay, replacing correspondence with telephone conversations, business papers with telephone messages, and be sure to check the fulfillment of each order, each order. Violators of the Decree were prosecuted to the fullest extent of revolutionary laws.

Through the activities of the Council, among others, the problems of regionalism, arbitrary local arrests, etc. were resolved. Thus, on December 14, 1918, the Resolution “On the arrests of responsible officials and specialists carried out by the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission” was adopted. The Cheka and its local bodies were ordered to notify the relevant department in advance regarding their decisions on the arrests of senior employees of Soviet institutions, as well as all specialists, engineers and technicians employed in industrial enterprises and on the railways. No later than 48 hours after the arrest, the appropriate institution should have been notified about it, also informing about the substance of the charges brought against the arrested person. Release from arrest was possible if a written guarantee was submitted by the people's commissariats, city and provincial committees of the RCP (b), provincial and city Councils of Deputies, as well as trade unions.

The devastation of the national economy that began during the First World War and the Provisional Government in the first months of Soviet power worsened even more. To alleviate the fuel crisis the country was experiencing, the Defense Council on November 19, 1919 adopted the Resolution “On natural, labor and horse-drawn service.” All male citizens aged 35 to 50 years, except those clearly unable to work, and female citizens from 18 to 40 years old were subject to labor service for the procurement, loading and unloading of fuel. Remuneration for the labor involved in performing labor duties was made according to the tariff of the corresponding trade unions.

From the beginning of 1920, in connection with the improvement of the military situation in the country, the issues of restoring the economy and transferring it to a peaceful footing came to the fore, which was accordingly reflected in the name of the Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense. On April 7, 1920, it was renamed the Council of Defense and Labor, and on April 14 - the Council of Labor and Defense, which, however, was not accompanied by any reorganization of this body. And only after the VIII All-Russian Congress of Soviets (December 22-29, 1920) the Labor and Defense Council (STO) legally took shape as a commission of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR.

The Defense Council was created by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee on November 30. 1918 to implement the decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of September 2. 1918, Crimea Sov. the republic was declared war. camp. The Defense Council was the extraordinary supreme body of the Soviet Union. state, brought to life by the extremely difficult situation that has developed in the country in connection with the actions of the internal. counter-revolution and foreign military intervention. He was given full authority in mobilizing forces and means to protect the Sov. state Prev. The Council of Defense was appointed by V.I. Lenin as chairman of the Council of People's Commissars. The Council included: from the All-Russian Central Executive Committee I.V. Stalin, from the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic L.D. Trotsky, People's Commissar of Railways V.I. Nevsky, deputy. People's Commissar of Food N.P. Bryukhanov and before. Extraordinary Commission for Supply of the Red Army L. B. Krasin. L. A. Fotieva worked as the Secretary of the Council. The resolutions of the Defense Council were mandatory for central and local departments and institutions, for all citizens of the Soviet Union. republics. He was the chief military-economics officer. and the planning center of the Republic during the war. The activities of the Revolutionary Military Council and other military forces were placed under the control of the Defense Council. organs. In April 1920, the Defense Council was reorganized and became known as the Labor and Defense Council (STO), which acted as a commission of the Council of People's Commissars. By resolution of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR of April 28, 1937, the STO was abolished. Lit.: On the formation of the Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense, "Collection of laws and orders of the Workers' and Peasants' Prospect", 1918, December 22, No. 91-92, Art. 924; Lenin V.I., Complete. collection op., 5th ed. (see Reference volume, part 1, p. 558); The emergence of the Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense, in the book: Leninsky collection, vol. 18, M., 1931.