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Primary sourceDocument8 November 1917

Decree on Land

Vladimir Lenin · 8 November 1917

Lenin's decree abolishing private landed estates and transferring land to peasant committees after the October Revolution.

Lenin authored this decree, which won peasant support for the new Soviet government by redistributing land.

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What it is

The Decree on Land was written by Vladimir Lenin and passed by the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Delegates on 8 November 1917. It is held at the State Archive of the Russian Federation.

Why it matters

The decree abolished landowners' rights to property without compensation and placed estates, along with church and imperial lands, under the control of peasant committees and local soviets. This move helped the new Bolshevik government win support among peasants, who made up the vast majority of Russia's population, at a moment when the revolution's survival was far from certain.

Look closer

  • Why might giving peasants land so quickly have helped the Bolsheviks hold on to power?
  • What does the decree's language about "grave crime" and "revolutionary courts" suggest about how it would be enforced?
  • What questions does the decree leave unanswered about how land would actually be shared out?

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