In 1918, while the rest of Europe was still engaged in World War I, a newly formed communist government was developing in Russia. Much like 18th century Americans, they had just managed to overthrow what was viewed as a tyrannical government and hoped to form a new nation free of the injustices of the previous rule. Both countries wrote a new constitution as well as a declaration of rights to facilitate this, but their respective documents had vast differences. These disparities stemmed from differences in the ideologies of the new governments.
The primary objectives of the Russian Declaration of Rights of the Working and Exploited People and the later constitution were the “abolition of all exploitation of man by man, complete elimination of the division of society into classes, merciless suppression of the exploiters, socialist organization of society, and victory of socialism in all countries. ” Americans wanted equality of opportunity and personal freedom instead of the social equality desired by the Russians.
The American constitution and Bill of Rights were created to protect personal liberties and individual freedom while the Russians were more concerned with the welfare and equality of the population as a whole. This difference is partially due to the differences in the conditions leading to revolution in each country. The American Revolution was initiated by the wealthy in response to what they considered unfair treatment by a foreign ruler while the Russian revolution was instigated by the poor in reaction to centuries of oppression and exploitation by the wealthy within their own country.
In the years leading up to World War I, social unrest among the Russian people was spreading rapidly. There was a huge social gulf between the peasants who were former serfs and the landowners. The peasants regarded anyone who did not work as a parasite. They had always regarded as all land belonging to them. They regarded any land retained by the landowners at the time serfs were freed as stolen and only force could prevent them from taking it back. By the time Russia entered the war, one peasant rebellion had already been suppressed and several socialist revolutionary movements were developing.
In February of 1917 a group of female factory workers and led a revolt in which the Tsar was dethroned, only to be replaced by a provisionary government composed of the Russian elite. When this government did not live up to its promises of an end to Russian involvement in World War I, the Bolsheviks (“majority”), a revolutionary movement led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the provisionary government in what bacame known as the October revolution. Upon seizing control, they immediately withdrew from the war and began constructing the world”s first ever communist government.
One of the new government”s first acts was to write the Declaration of Rights of the Working and Exploited People. On July 10, 1918 the 5th Soviet Congress approved a constitution that, together with the Declaration of Rights, formed “the single fundamental law of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic”. Unlike the American Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Rights of the Working and Exploited People seems to have been meant to apply to all of mankind eventually, as is shown in Article 4:
Expressing firm determination to wrest mankind from the clutches of finance capital and imperialism, which have in this most criminal of wars drenched the world in blood, the Third Congress of Soviets unreservedly endorses Soviet policy of denouncing the secret treaties, organizing most extensive fraternization with the workers and peasants of the combatant armies and achieving at all costs by revolutionary means a democratic peace for the working people, without annexations of indemnities, on the basis of free self-determination of nations.
Their commitment to self-determination of nations was at least partially valid in that they gave Finland complete autonomy and withdrew their troops from Persia, but this may have resulted more from a lack of resources than altruism. Limited self-determination for the nations within the R. S. F. S. R. was also provided for in that the federal government was to be confined to “promulgating the fundamental principles of a federation of Soviet republics of Russia” while leaving the citizens of each region free to decide “whether they wish to participate in the federal government… nd on what terms. ”
Several other liberties were provided for in the Russian constitution, many of which appear remarkably similar to freedoms provided for in the American Bill of Rights. Article 14 provided for freedom of expression, while Article 15 ensured “genuine freedom of assembly” and Article 13 guaranteed a separation of church and state as well as freedom of religious and anti-religious propaganda.
All of these seem similar to the First Amendment of the U. S. onstitution, but they even went farther. Article 14 not only provided for freedom of press, but even promised every citizen access to “all the technical and material requisites for the publication of newspapers, pamphlets, books and all other printed material” as well as promising “their unhindered circulation throughout the country. ” Article 15, besides guarantying freedom of assembly, promised to provide heated, lighted and furnished buildings for their gatherings.
All things come at a price however, and all of these gifts from the government came at the price of true freedom of expression and assembly, as illustrated by Article 23: “Guided by the interests of the working class as a whole, the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic deprives individuals and groups of rights which they utilize to the detriment of the socialist revolution. ” In America, where distrust of the government is common, this passage would have been viewed as tyrannical and would not have been allowed in the constitution.
The legislative powers of both the United States and Russia were given to a congress of elected officials. In the United States this is further divided into two houses of more or less equal power. In Russia, the All-Russia Congress of Soviets met only twice a year except in emergencies. During the rest of the year a smaller group called the All-Russia Executive Committee took on the responsibilities of the All-Russia Congress of Soviets. This group was chosen from the congress and remained accountable to it for all its actions. For decisions of major political importance they were required to check with the Congress before taking action.
Unlike the United States congress however, both of the Russian bodies also had some degree of executive power, though most executive power was relegated to the Council of People”s Commissars. This council was created to exercise “general management of the affairs of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic. ” This branch is given slightly more power than its American equivalent.
In order to fulfill its responsibilities, the Council is given the freedom to take “what measures are necessary to ensure the proper course of life of the State. This may seem like limitless power, but they were also required to immediately notify the All-Russia Central Executive Committee of any orders or decisions it made. The Council of People”s Commissars was divided into 18 Commissariats: Foreign Affairs, Military Affairs, Maritime Affairs, Interior, Justice, Labor, Social Security, Public Education, Post and Telegraph, Nationalities Affairs, Finance, Transport, Agriculture, Trade and Industry, Food Supply, State Control, the Supreme Economic Council, and Public Health.
Each division consisted of the Commissar and a small number of advisors. The All-Russia Executive Committee appointed the Commissars who then appoint advisors to their board. The appointments then had to be approved by the Executive Committee. In this way a system of checks and balances somewhat similar to the American system was put into effect.
