| Russian Democratic Federative Republic Российская Демократическая Федеративная Республика[1] |
||||
| Federal republic | ||||
|
||||
| Russia in December 1917-January 1918, between recognition of Finnish independence and prior to later declarations of independence | ||||
| Capital | Petrograd | |||
| Language(s) | Russian | |||
| Government | Federal presidential republic | |||
| Chairman of the Constituent Assembly | ||||
| - 1918 | Victor Chernov | |||
| Legislature | Russian Constituent Assembly (provisional and constituent) Bicameral parliament of the Rus. Dem. Fed. Rep. (permanent) |
|||
| - Upper house | State Council | |||
| - Lower house | State Duma | |||
| Historical era | World War I | |||
| - Russian Constituent Assembly election, 1917 | 25 November 1917 | |||
| - Resolution on the form of government of Russia adopted[2] | January 19, 1918 | |||
| - Dissolving of the Russian Constituent Assembly | January 19, 1918 | |||
| Currency | Ruble | |||
Russian Democratic Federative Republic (Russian: Российская Демократическая Федеративная Республика,[1] Translit: Rossiyskaya Demokraticheskaya Federativnaya Respublika), was a proposed federal form of government of Russia during the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was formally declared on January 19[2], when the democratically elected Russian Constituent Assembly drafted and adopted the Resolution on the form of government of Russia, declaring Russia to be a federal democratic republic. However, the Assembly was dissolved on the same day by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, and thus, it was the shortest lived state in history, nominally existing for less than one day.
Contents |
According to the intended constitution, Russia was declared a democratic federal republic. The fundamental basis of the state was representative democracy and federation of both[3] national and territorial autonomous oblasts[4]. This was in contrast to the Decembrist constitution project, which proposed a federal constitutional monarchy on an economic basis. For the first time the unitary structure of Russia was officially abolished and the country was declared a federation, marking the start of the federalist period in Russian history.[2]
The Constitution granted universal suffrage for all citizens of Republic, who are 20 years or older[5]. This was five years lower than in the late Russian Empire.
Most civil duties (such as conscription and taxes) was inherited from the legislation of the Russian Empire.
The head of state was the President of the Russian Democratic Federative Republic. He was elected by parliament for a one-year term[5] in a majority vote by deputies of both chambers[4]. Presidential powers were nearly identical to that of the Emperor. These powers were[5]:
The President was responsible for his work before the parliament. A similar concept (enhanced) of presidential powers was later used in the German constitution of 1919.
Due to Russian Constituent Assembly's cancellation of the constitution, no person was ever elected into this office.
According to the final project of the Constitution adopted on January 20, 1920 in Paris, legislative power was to be held by a bicameral parliament.
The constituent powers (ability to create a new constitution and change the government type) were allocated to the Russian Constituent Assembly.[4]
|
||||||||