Dictionary:

soviet

  (sō'vē-ĕt', -ĭt, sŏv'ē-, sō'vē-ĕt')

1. One of the popularly elected legislative assemblies that existed at local, regional, and national levels in the former Soviet Union.
2. Soviet A native or inhabitant of the former Soviet Union.

1. often Soviet Of or relating to the former Soviet Union.
2. Of or relating to a soviet.

[Russian sovet, council, soviet, from Old Russian sŭvětŭ.]

For more information on soviet, visit Britannica.com.

Soviet (sovet) is the Russian word for "council" or "advice."

Its political usage began during the Revolution of 1905 when it was applied to the councils of deputies elected by workers in factories throughout Russia. Although suppressed in 1905, the soviets reappeared in nearly every possible setting immediately following the February Revolution of 1917. With the soviet in Petrograd setting the tone, they very quickly became the organs of power that the majority of the population saw as legitimate. Although the moderate socialists who initially led the soviets were reluctant to take executive power from the Provisional Government, most Russians seem to have favored rule by the soviets alone; the Bolsheviks' call for "All Power to the Soviets" may well have been their most successful slogan. The October Revolution was timed to coincide with the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets, both to forestall its taking power without Bolshevik initiative and to gain legitimacy from its approval. The new Bolshevik-led government was thus initially based on soviets, and the state structure formally remained so until Mikhail Gorbachev. For most of the Soviet era, the Supreme Soviet was theoretically the highest legislative organ, although the Communist Party held practical power. Throughout their history, soviets generally proved too large for day-to-day governance, a role filled by a permanent executive committee elected by the full soviet. Some scholars have suggested that the soviet became so popular an institution because it was an urban counterpart to the village commune assembly, a governing system with which most Russians, even in the cities, were familiar.

Bibliography

Anweiler, Oskar. (1974). The Soviets: The Russian Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers Councils, 1905 - 1921, tr. Ruth Hein. New York: Pantheon Books.

—DAVID PRETTY

Dansk (Danish)
n. - Sovjet
adj. - sovjetisk, sovjet-

Français (French)
n. - (Pol) soviet
adj. - soviétique

Deutsch (German)
n. - Sowjet
adj. - sowjetisch, Sowjet-

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - Σοβιετικός
adj. - σοβιετικός

Italiano (Italian)
sovietico

Português (Portuguese)
n. - soviete
adj. - soviético, russo

Русский (Russian)
совет, советский

Español (Spanish)
n. - soviético
adj. - soviético

Svenska (Swedish)
n., - adj.

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
苏联人, 委员会, 代表会议, 苏联政府, 苏联的, 委员会的, 代表会议的, 与苏联有关的

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 蘇聯人, 委員會, 代表會議, 蘇聯政府
adj. - 蘇聯的, 委員會的, 代表會議的, 與蘇聯有關的

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 옛 소련 정부, (옛 소련의) 평의회, (소연방을 구성하는) 공화국
adj. - 소비에트 연방의, 옛 소련의, 평의회의

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ソ連政府, ソ連人民, 会議, ソビエト
adj. - ソ連の, 会議の

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מועצת-פועלים, סובייט‬
adj. - ‮סובייטי, של ברית-המועצות‬

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