Failure of the Political Seizure of the UNR in Kyiv (November – December 1917)
The first attempt by Soviet Russia (the Russian Soviet Republic) to liquidate Ukraine's independence by hijacking power at the All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets. The Bolshevik government (the Sovnarkom) planned to plant its delegates, artificially create a majority, and legally vote to transfer power to the Soviets under its control. The Ukrainian leadership recognized the threat and mobilized its supporters, leaving the aggressor's delegates in an absolute minority and thwarting the takeover[1][2].
Actors
| ID | Name | Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| G0013 | Soviet Russia (RSFSR) | 3 |
Instruments Applied
| ID | Name | Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| S0020 | Controlled Opposition | 2 |
| S0009 | Diplomacy | 1 |
Procedures Carried Out
Use by the Council of People's Commissars of local Bolshevik cells as a legal political force that was to speak on behalf of the Ukrainian proletariat against the Central Rada[2].
Deliberate transfer of loyal delegates and political agitators to the All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets in Kyiv in order to hijack the agenda from within[1].
An attempt to convert an electoral minority into a procedural majority at the congress. Actual support was negligible: in the Constituent Assembly elections "across the country as a whole the Bolsheviks gathered less than 24% of the votes, and in the Ukrainian gubernias only 10%"[1]. Hence the wager on capturing representative bodies: the Central Committee of the RSDLP(b) declared outright that "the transfer of government from the hands of one soviet party into the hands of another party is secured without any revolution, by a simple decision of the Soviets, by a simple re-election of deputies to the Soviets," while the All-Russian Central Executive Committee's decree of 4 December 1917 "On the right of recall of delegates" provided the mechanism for such a replacement[1][3].