Ukrainian Constituent Assembly

The Ukrainian Constituent Assembly (Ukrainian: Українські Установчі Збори) was a scheduled All-National Congress which supposed to confirm the Constitution of Ukraine and establish a new political system. The Assembly was supposed to be the supreme state power and elections to which would be organized by the Central Rada that would hold its sessions between the meetings of the Assembly. The Assembly was suspended because of the Russian aggression in the Ukrainian–Soviet War (December 25, 1917) that led to proclamation of the Ukrainian independence by the IV Universal.^[1]

Overview

The idea for an All-National Congress (sojm) came up after the February Revolution, but was greatly opposed by the Russian Provisional Government which interpret it as a separatists intentions of the Central Rada. In its very first Universal the Central Rada declared that only the All-National Ukrainian Congress has "the right to approve all laws" in Ukraine.^[2] At its sixth session (August 18-22, 1917) the Central Rada recognized the importance for the organization of such institution and held a forum for an electoral system and convening of the assembly.

Reactions

After the sixth session of the Central Rada the most influential party of Russian Empire, Kadets, resigned from the Ukrainian council in protest to arrange the All-National Ukrainian Congress. By the end of September several other parties of national minorities such as the Mensheviks of RSDRP, the SR, and the Bund protested against the Ukrainian Constituent Assembly. The Minor Rada (the Executive Committee of Central Rada) tried to find a compromise due to those protests and adopted that the National Assembly would be confirmed by the All-Russian Constituent Assembly. The compromise finally found some reconciliation among the members of Central Rada which elected the commission to design the laws that would govern the Constituent Assembly. Nonetheless, on October 30, 1917 the Russian Provisional Government accused the Ukrainian government in separatism, suspended funding of the General Secretariat, and declared its intention to take this case to the court. A special delegation to Petrograd was organized to negotiate the issue, however its mission was suspended and later canceled due to the Bolshevik coup-d'état in the capital.

Developments

On October 12, 1917 the Central Rada passed the fundamental laws on the elections to the assembly. It also instructed the Minor Rada to confirm the laws and organize the elections. The III Universal^[3] of the Central Rada (November 20, 1917) designated January 9 as the election day while the first convention of the assembly was scheduled to take place on January 22. The Universal also mentioned that until the assembly is convened the legislative power of the Ukrainian autonomy belongs to the Central Rada. The law on the Constituent Assembly was ratified on November 29, 1917. There were expected to be 301 deputies which is around 1 to 100,000 constituents. The head of the electoral commission was appointed M.Moroz.

See also

• Verkhovna Rada
• Central Rada
• Ukrainian Constituent Assembly election, 1918
• Kiev Arsenal January Uprising and Ukrainian–Soviet War

References

Bibliography

• Khrystiuk, Pavlo (1921). "Записки і матеріали до історії української революції 1917—1920 pp." (Notes and materials to the history of the Ukrainian Revolution 1917-20). Vol I-II. Vienna.
• Doroshenko Dmytro (1932). "Історія України 1917—1923" (History of Ukraine 1917-23). Vol I "Доба Центральної Ради" (The times of the Central Rada). Uzhhorod 1932, New-York 1954.
• Reshetar, J. (1952). "The Ukrainian Revolution 1917—1920". Princeton 1952.
• Encyclopedia of Ukraine