Forty years ago this week, the only freely elected Parliament in the history of Russia met in Petrograd. For Russia's people, the Constituent Assembly was more than just a word. It was the instrument that was to fashion a new, democratic Russia. The Bolsheviks, seizing power in the October Revolution, permitted the elections already arranged by the Kerensky government, because they thought they would win. They were stunned at the results. Across Russia, an astonishing 50% of the eligibles voted; out of a total of 707 delegates, 370 were Social Revolutionaries, only 775 Bolsheviks. Seventeen hours after it met, the Constituent...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
