Russia Goes to the Polls: The Election to the All-Russian Constituent Assembly, 1917

Oliver H. Radkey

Published by Cornell University Press 1990

Russia Goes to the Polls

The Election to the All-Russian Constituent Assembly, 1917

Oliver H. Radkey

https://doi.org/10.7591/9781501738913

Overview
Contents

About this book

Held after the overthrow of the monarchy in the interlude of freedom between the Bolshevik seizure of power and the forging of the one-party Soviet system, the 1917 election to the Constituent Assembly was the only ballot that was universal, secret, equal, and direct in the history of the Russians and other peoples who make up today 's USSR. Its results are perhaps the most accurate available index of popular opinion throughout the country at the time the Bolsheviks took power.

In the present volume, Oliver H. Radkey provides the most authoritative analysis of the election returns available in any language. The author's earlier account of the voting, first published in 1950 and long unavailable, is reprinted in its entirety. Radkey supplements that work with a wealth of new data, and reassesses his earlier findings in the light of current scholarship. Especially noteworthy is the new information on the vote of the non-Russian peoples and of various religious parties and special-interest groups. These data, the fruit of many years of painstaking research, are set forth in meticulous and substantial new tables.

The results of the 1917 election are essential to an understanding of the range and depth of popular support for the Bolsheviks and other parties. Radkey's classic account will enhance ongoing debates about the course of the 1917 Revolution and the legitimacy of Soviet rule.

Author / Editor information

Oliver H. Radkey is Professor of History, Emeritus, at the University of Texas, Austin.

Reviews

Vladimir Brovkin, Oberlin College:

A pioneering effort, this endeavor is on the cutting edge of today's historical research, where historians begin to look not only at the major political parties but also at specific interest groups. The new data in this book will immediately become the standard reference for any discussion of popular attitudes and political parties or social trends during the Russian revolution.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
FOREWORD Sheila Fitzpatrick Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
PREFACE Publicly Available Download PDF	xv
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	xxiii
PART ONE. The Election to the Russian Constituent Assembly of 1917
CHAPTER I. THE SETTING Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	3
CHAPTER II. ANALYSIS OF RETURNS FOR THE COUNTRY AT LARGE Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	14
CHAPTER III. ANALYSIS OF RETURNS FOR REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICTS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	25
CHAPTER IV. THE QUESTION OF VALIDITY: HOW FREE WAS THE VOTE? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	42
CHAPTER V. THE QUESTION OF VALIDITY: DID THE PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	53
CHAPTER VI. CONCLUSION Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	72
APPENDIX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	79
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	83
PART TWO. The Election Revisited
CHAPTER VII. THE SETTING AND THE ROLE OF THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	87
CHAPTER VIII. THE DEGREE OF VOTER PARTICIPATION Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	97
CHAPTER IX. WERE THE ELECTION RESULTS UNREPRESENTATIVE OF THE COUNTRY? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	100
CHAPTER X. QUESTIONS OF COMPILATION Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	115
CHAPTER XI. FAILURES AND SUCCESSES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	125
CHAPTER XII. LESSONS OF THE ELECTION Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	135
PART THREE. Tables
EXPLANATORY NOTE Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
NOTES AND ABBREVIATIONS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	145
Table 1. Condensed tabulation of vote affording general view of the election Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	148
Table 2. Other socialist vote and Jewish vote in detail Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	152
Table 3. Special-interest vote and religious and/or rightist vote in detail Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	154
Table 4. Votes cast for Turko-Tatar lists and for groups of diverse nationalities, by election districts grouped as to region Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	157
Table 5. Votes cast for Ukrainian parties and groups, by election districts grouped as to region Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	160
INFORMATION ON WHAT IS LACKING TO COMPLETE CERTAIN DISTRICTS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER) Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	161
INDEX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	165

Language: English
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 192
Illustrations
- Other: 5 tables

eBook

Published: January 24, 2019
ISBN: 9781501738913