Institution

Council of People's Commissars

1917–1946 · 20th century · Also known as Sovnarkom

The Council of People's Commissars, or Sovnarkom, was the government of Soviet Russia, formed by the Second Congress of Soviets during the October Revolution of 1917 with Lenin as chairman. Its members, the people's commissars, headed the government departments. A Sovnarkom of the Soviet Union was created in 1923, and in 1946 the councils were renamed councils of ministers.

Council of People's Commissars
Image: Совнарком 1919 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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Russian SFSRFoundation, Governance

Mentioned in 1 state history

Baku Commune

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Council of People's Commissars. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/council-of-peoples-commissars
MLA
“Council of People's Commissars.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/council-of-peoples-commissars. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Council of People's Commissars.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/council-of-peoples-commissars.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Council of People's Commissars’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/council-of-peoples-commissars (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻