Shuliavka Republic

The Shuliavka Republic ( _uk. Шулявська республіка; _ru. Шулявская республика) was an early 20th century worker based quasi-government organization in the city of Kiev, now the capital of Ukraine, whose main task was self-defense.cite book|title=Kiev: A Portrait, 1800-1917|last=Hamm|first=Michael F.|year=1993|publisher=Princeton University Press |location=|isbn=0691025851|pages=pgs. 216–219] The uprising lasted a total of four days, from December 12–16, 1905 and encompassed the territory of the Shuliavka factory district of Kiev. The Shuliavka Republic came to an end after the protest was put down by the Imperial Russian Army.

Uprising

On December 11, 1905, in a sign of support for the December Uprising in Moscow,cite book|last=Kudrytskyi|first=A.|title=Kyiv, Encyclopedic Directory|year=1981|publisher=Ukrainian Soviet Encyclopedia |location=Kyiv|pages=705] the Council of Workers' Deputies of Kiev decided to stage a mass uprising. On the next day, all major organizations of the city stopped their operation. The majority of the protesting workers were concentrated in the Shuliavka district of Kiev.

In a couple of hours after the start of the uprising, a "strict revolutionary order" was established. Groups of about 150 armed workers were sent to patrol the territory, which was headquartered in the first building of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute.

Shuliavka was declared a workers' republic,cite web|url=http://oldkiev.info/progulki_ulicami_Kieva/shulyavka.html|title=Something about Shuliavka|accessdate=2008-04-19|work=Old Kiev|language=Ukrainian] where the city-wide protest headquarters and the Council of Workers' Deputies were housed. Workers in the district proclaimed the republic as the sole local authority of Kiev. Among the supporters of the protesting workers were the students and faculty of the Polytechnic Institute.

Manifest

On the first day of the uprising, the Council of Workers' Deputies published their manifest, which proclaimed:

In addition, the workers demanded a pension, normal working conditions, the removal of unnecessary fines, a better medical service, and a system of government protection. [cite news |first=Andrei|last=Manchuk|title=In defence of the "Shuliavka republic"|url=http://www.pk.kiev.ua/city/2007/01/19/110053.html|work=Gazeta po-Kievski|date=January 19, 2007|accessdate=2008-04-19|language=Russian]

End

The ongoing conflict between the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks in the Council and Committee of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party slowed the growth of the uprising.

On December 15, the territory of Shuliavka was surrounded by the Russian Army and local authorities. The police, who, before then usually avoided the area, [Hamm, pg. 217.] began mass arrests and confiscated any weapons they found. In all, more than 78 people were arrested.Hamm, pg. 219.] On the next day, the uprising was put down by a 2,000-strong armed force (consisting mainly of gendarmes and Cossack cavalry).

References