The beginning of Soviet power was marked by the vigorous activity of the new government. Vigorous activity means the adoption of a considerable number of various decrees. The new decrees have radically changed the life of the people.
Decree "On Peace"
The resolution, which was adopted within a couple of hours after the arrest of the Provisional Government, solved the main problem of the country at that time. This main problem was endless wars, which are exhausting the people more and more every day. That is why the decree "On Peace" became the very first decree adopted by the Soviet government.
The new decree proposed to conclude peace between the belligerent powers without requiring any territorial or monetary obligations. L. D. Trotsky withdrew secret treaties concluded between Russia and the Allied countries and published them to show the good intentions of the Soviet government and dishonest military actions.
As a result, the decree was not adopted by other countries. Only Germany entered the negotiations. However, the Brest-Litovsk Peace, which Lenin and Trotsky managed to conclude, included annexations and indemnities.
Decree "On Land"
The Decree "On Land" proclaimed the entire land of the territory of the USSR to be national. Private property was seized and transferred to the management of peasant committees. And already these committees divided the land into equal plots and distributed it to the peasants. The decree also prohibited the lease of land and the use of hired labor.
The Decree "On Land" laid the foundation for the development of the land policy of the Soviet Union. The emergence of private property will take place only in 1993 after the adoption of the Constitution.
This decree served not only for the benefit of the poor peasants, who, in their opinion, achieved justice at that time, but also allowed the new government to continue its political activities, practically whatever, since the main population was occupied by the "black redistribution" of the land.
Other decrees of 1917
In addition to the first two decrees, others, no less important, were adopted.
The decree "On the press" laid the foundation for the future Soviet censorship, which in turn killed many talented poets, writers and musicians. However, there were decrees that improved the life of the people. For example, the decree “On an eight-hour working day” and the decree “On education”.
The decree "On the creation of the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission" was also adopted. Initially, the Cheka did not have special powers and only conducted investigative operations. However, little by little the responsibilities of the Cheka expanded, and since 1918 the "chekists" had the right to shoot all opponents of the revolution on the spot. It is with this committee that so much blood is associated during and after the Civil War.
1918 year
As part of the reform of Russian spelling, the decree "On the introduction of a new spelling" was adopted. From January 1, 1918, all publications, government and state, were required to be published according to the new rules of the Russian language.
The decree, which was called "On the Cancellation of State Loans", canceled all debts taken from Russian landowners and the bourgeoisie.
The decree "On the introduction of the Western European calendar" was adopted due to the fact that inconveniences arose in relations with Europe due to the different reckoning of days. This decree signified the transition from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian one. The church, which rejected the second, refused to accept the new calendar even after the decree.
