But what if among these there should develop a purpose contrary to the purpose of the Bolsheviki?  Would men who, starting out with a belief in the Constituante, and as its champions, used force to destroy and suppress it the moment it became evident that its purpose was not their purpose, hesitate to suppress and destroy any Soviet movement which adopted policies contrary to their own?  What assurance could there be, once their point of view, their initial principle, was granted, that the freedom denied to the Constituante would be assured to the Soviets?  In the very nature of the case there could be no such assurance.  However honest and sincere the Bolsheviki themselves might be in their belief that there would be such assurance, there could in fact be none, for the logic of life is stronger than any human will.

As was inevitable, the Bolsheviki soon found themselves in the position of suppressing Soviets which they could not control as freely and in the same manner as they had suppressed the Constituent Assembly.  When, for example, the soldiers of the Preobrajenski Regiment—­the very men who helped the Bolsheviki into power—­became dissatisfied and organized, publishing their own organ, The Soldier’s Cloak, the paper was confiscated and the organization suppressed.[38] The forcible suppression of Soviets was common.  The Central Executive Committee of the National Soviet of Peasants’ Delegates, together with the old Central Executive Committee of the Soviets of Workmen’s and Soldiers’ Delegates (who had never acknowledged the October elections), convoked an extraordinary assembly of Soviets on January 8th, the same date as that on which the Bolshevik Congress of Soviets was convoked.  Circumstances compelled the opening to be deferred until two days later, the 10th.  This conference, called the Third All-Russian Congress of Peasants’ Soviets, was suppressed by force, many of the 359 delegates and all the members of the Executive Committee being arrested.  The following extract from a declaration of protest addressed by the outraged peasants to the Congress of Soviets of Workmen, Soldiers, and Peasants convoked by the Bolshevik government tells the story: 

As soon as the Congress was opened, sailors and Red Guards, armed with guns and hand-grenades, broke into the premises (11 Kirillovskaia Street), surrounded the house, poured into the corridors and the session hall, and ordered all persons to leave.

    “In whose name do you order us, who are Delegates to the Peasants’
    Congress of All-Russia, to disperse?” asked the peasants.

    “In the name of the Baltic fleet,” the sailor’s replied.