Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 26 - From Marx to Mao

552 NOTES9596979899100Written on the night of October 24 (November 6). That same dayLenin secretly arrived at Smolny and took over the leadershipof the uprising. p. 234Verkhovsky, A. I. (1886- 1941)—Minister of War in the last bourgeoisProvisional Government. On October 19, (November 1),1917, he resigned over the Pre- parliament’s rejection of his proposalfor demobilising a considerable part of the army and othermeasures. p. 234The Revolutionary Military Committee of the Petrograd Sovietwas set up on October 12 (25), 1917, on instructions from theCentral Committee of the Bolshevik Party. Its members were drawnfrom the Central Committee, the Petersburg Committee thePetrograd Soviet, factory committees, trade unions and militaryorganisations. It operated under the leadership of the CentralCommittee and was closely bound up with the Bolshevik MilitaryOrganisation in forming Red Guard detachments and arming theworkers. Its main task was to prepare the armed uprising in accordancewith the Central Committee directives. It carried on diverseactivity in organising the combat forces for victory in the OctoberRevolution. Its leading core, the Revolutionary Military Centre,was formed by the Central Committee on October 16 (29), 1917,and received daily directions from Lenin. After the victory ofthe October Revolution and the election of the Soviet Governmentat the Second Congress of Soviets, the main task of the RevolutionaryMilitary Committee was to fight the counter- revolutionand safeguard the revolutionary order. It handed over its functionsto various People’s Commissariats as they arose. It was dissolvedon December 5 (18), 1917. p. 234Written by Lenin on behalf of the Revolutionary Military Committeeof the Petrograd Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies.It was carried by the newspaper Rabochy i Soldat on October 25(November 7), 1917, and reprinted by the Derevenskaya Bednota,Izvestia and other newspapers.Rabochy i Soldat (Worker and Soldier)—an evening paper,the organ of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies;published from October 17 (30), 1917 to February 1918.p. 236The meeting opened at 2.35 p.m. on October 25 (November 7),and heard a report of the Revolutionary Military Committee onthe overthrow of the Provisional Government and the triumphof the revolution. Lenin gave a report on the tasks facing Sovietpower. The resolution motioned by Lenin (see p. 241) was adoptedby an overwhelming majority. p. 239The reference is to secret diplomatic documents, such as the secrettreaties concluded by the tsarist and later by the bourgeois ProvisionalGovernment of Russia with the governments of Britain,