The official announcement of the liquidation of the revolt of the Left SRs in Moscow. July 8, 1918
Decrees of the Soviet government. M., 1959.T. II. S. 534-536
July 8, 1918
The insane uprising of the so-called Left Socialist-Revolutionaries has been liquidated. The judicial and investigative authorities will find out in the coming days the exact factual picture of this unprecedented adventure and will establish the degree of responsibility of its individual participants. But the political meaning of the Moscow events of July 6-7 is already quite clear at the present moment.
Submitting to the pressure of the bourgeois classes of society, the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries in recent weeks have made more and more persistent efforts to involve Russia in the war with Germany. These efforts were expressed not only in pointing out the extremely difficult conditions of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, but also in the fabrication and dissemination of monstrous rumors and suspicions that could stimulate the popular imagination. The class-conscious workers and peasants, of course, are aware of the burdensomeness of the terms of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty. But they are no less clear about what would be the consequences of dragging an exhausted and bloodless Russia into an imperialist slaughter. That is why the overwhelming majority of workers and peasants deliberately rejected the break of the Brest Treaty, which is furiously demanded by the Cadets, Right Socialist-Revolutionaries, Mensheviks and Left Socialist-Revolutionaries.
The failure of demagogic agitation in favor of the war pushed the Left SRs on the path of a senseless and dishonorable adventure: they decided, by means of a terrorist act, to involve Russia in a war against the will of the workers and peasants. After the Fifth All-Russian Congress of Soviets categorically approved the foreign policy of the Council of People's Commissars, a certain Blumkin, by decree of the Central Committee of the Left SR Party, murdered the German ambassador, Count Mirbach.
In committing this provocative act, the Left SRs relied not so much on their party apparatus as on the official position they held as a Soviet party. With the support of his party, Blumkin got into the composition of the Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution. Taking advantage of his official position, he seized some documents in his hands, forged others, entered the premises of the German ambassador under the official cover of his position and committed the murder dictated to him by the party's central committee.
At the same time, the Left SRs openly embarked on rebellious actions, which had as their goal to forcibly transfer state power from the hands of the All-Russian Congress of Soviets to the hands of the party that was in the minority at this congress. Members of the Central Committee of the Left SRs tried to launch an uprising, relying on part of the detachment of the Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution. This detachment was under the command of the Left SR Popov. Parts of Popov's detachment involved in the conspiracy, reinforced by demoralized elements from the Black Sea Fleet, put forward street guards and patrols, arrested individual representatives of the Soviet government, disarmed and fired at individual groups of Red Army soldiers. The rebels had machine guns, guns and armored cars at their disposal.
This is how the uprising of the Soviet party, which found itself in the minority, against the power of the Soviets, unfolded on July 7.
The success of the uprising (if this adventure could be successful) would mean: an immediate war with Germany and the collapse of Soviet power, since no sane person could, of course, admit that the Left Social Revolutionaries would be able to hold power snatched from the hands of the workers ', peasants' and Red Army Soviets. Essentially the whole situation, the Left SRs acted on July 6-7 only as a fighting squad in the service of the counter-revolutionary bourgeoisie, for which they were clearing the way.
Under these conditions, the Council of People's Commissars could make only one decision: to suppress the rebellion in the shortest possible time, in which frivolity, treachery and provocation were combined into one disgusting whole.
Vigorous action yielded results within hours. The Left SRs cleared the post office and telegraph office, where they ran for two hours. After the first shelling from the side of Soviet troops, decomposition began in the environment of Popov's detachment. A significant part of the detachment was indignant at the gamble and became entirely on the side of the representatives of the Soviet government captured by the rebels, comrades. Dzerzhinsky, Latsis and Smidovich. Only thanks to this their life was protected from danger.
The elimination of the rebellion was quite worthy of the original plan and the entire course of this shameful adventure. The complete confusion of the headquarters and the demoralization of the detachment went in parallel. Having set themselves such a goal as the seizure of state power, the leaders of the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries, apparently, did not at all assess the size and significance of this task, which was completely beyond their strength. The rebels, after insignificant attempts of resistance, began to send envoys in different directions, and then proceeded to a disorderly retreat.
The pursuit of the fleeing is now proceeding with complete success. The number of those taken prisoner is already estimated at several hundred. Detailed data will be presented by the Government at the next meeting of the All-Russian Congress of Soviets, which will have its decisive word both on the revolt of 6-7 July and on the entire fate of the so-called party of the Left Social Revolutionaries.
Decrees of the Soviet government. M., 1959.T. II. S. 534-536.
Published: V. I. Lenin and the Cheka. Collection of documents. (1917-1922). M., 1987.
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