67 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
67 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown
The **Bolsheviks and Workers Control** is a 1970 pamphlet by [Chris
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Pallis](Chris_Pallis "wikilink") (written with his penname Maurice
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Brinton). It offers a timeline of instance that the
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[Bolsheviks](Bolsheviks "wikilink") repressed movements for workers
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control across [Russia](Russia "wikilink") during the [Russian Civil
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War](Russian_Civil_War "wikilink").
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## Summary
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### 1917
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- February: [February
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Revolution](February_Revolution_\(Russia\) "wikilink"), reappearance
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of Soviets and creation of the [Russian
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Republic](Russian_Republic_\(1917\) "wikilink").
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- March: Workers' councils spring up in every major Russian city and
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industrial centre, their first major achievement is the introduction
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of the 8 hour workday.
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- April: Workers' councils gain legal recognition,
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- May: Massive smear campaign in the press against the workers'
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councils, soldiers begin siding with the workers' councils after
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being invited to inspect factories. Lenin declares support for them,
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writing "the Party fights for a more democratic workers' and
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peasants' republic, in which the police and standing army will be
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completely abolished and replaced by the universally armed people,
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by a universal militia. All official persons will not only be
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elected but also subject to recall at any time upon the demand of a
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majority of the electors. All official persons, without exception,
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will be paid at a rate not exceeding the average wage of a competent
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worker." The first conference of workers' councils from groups
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across Russia is held in Petrograd. Tensions develop between trade
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unions and workers' councils.
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- August: Within conferences of workers' councils, suspicion grows
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over the Bolsheviks' intentions. Pushes are also made for full
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workers' control and creation of socialist newspapers. Capitalists
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organise conferences to counter their influence. Strikes break out
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across mining regions, with one of the main demands being for
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workers' councils to control hiring and firing.
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- September: The Menshevik Minister for Labour bans meetings of
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workers' councils during work hours. Authorising bosses to deduct
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wages from the time spent in meetings. By this point, 586
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enterprises employing over 100,000 workers had been closed down by
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their bosses over shortages and to stop the workers' councils.
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- October: Workers' councils conferences begin leading towards an
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[anarcho-syndicalist](Anarcho-Syndicalism "wikilink") position.
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- November: [October
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Revolution](October_Revolution_\(Russia\) "wikilink") (Russia used a
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different calendar to the current most commonly used ones) and Lenin
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advocates for "introduction of workers' control of the production,
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warehousing, purchase and sale of all products and raw materials in
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all industrial, commercial, banking, agricultural and other
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enterprises employing a total of not less than five workers and
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employees" or enterprises with low profits. However, he contradicts
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himself by pushing for the state to be able to override the will of
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the workers. The idea of workers' control becomes popular in the
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civil service, whilst the Bolsheviks order the dissolution in the
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Soviet in Civil Telephone Workers and the postal service. Bolsheviks
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begin advocating for a mix of top-down central planning and
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bottom-up workers' control. Angering many of the workers' councils.
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### 1918
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### 1919
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### 1920
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### 1921 |