Prague Manifesto

The Prague Manifesto (in Russian: Пражский Манифест) is a document that was created by several members of the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia, an anti-communist coalition of former Soviet military and citizens who aimed to overthrow Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and establish a non-communist government in Russia, in alliance with Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

The Manifesto opened with a preamble that harshly criticized Stalin for alleged crimes against the peoples of the USSR, including a genocide of the population via repression and engineered famines, and suppression of personal freedoms. However, the same preamble also accused the Allies ("the plutocracies of the United States and England") of collaborating with Stalin in trying to conquer, not liberate, Europe.

The authors later justified some of the more objectionable parts of the Manifesto by claiming that they had been included to appease the Nazi propagandists. The authors refused to include antisemitic rhetoric, despite heavy pressure from the Nazi propaganda department, although anti-Allied sentiment was included.

General Vlasov himself had been noted to criticise the extermination of the Jews to German commanders (Wilfreid Strik-Strikfeldt's memoirs, "Against Stalin and Hitler"), and had several close collaborators who were Jewish (Mileti Zikov, Vlasov's first speech writer, Captain Boyarskiy, General Boris Shteifon of the Russian Corps). During an interview with ROA General and committee member Georgii Malenkov by a neutral journalist about his views on the "Jewish problem", Malenkov remarked "We do not feel that Russia has any Jewish problem that needs to be addressed".

The Manifesto focused on uniting not only ethnic Russians but all peoples of Russia/USSR, i.e. Ukrainians, Belarusians, Balts, Kalmyks, Armenians, Georgians, Circassians, and other such nationalities inhabiting the Soviet Union. Many representatives from these nationalities were a part of the Committee and signed the Manifesto.

One of the most notable parts of the Manifesto is the 14 points upon which a new democratic Russia would be built. Interestingly, the points guaranteed the freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, conscience, equal rights for women and all peoples of Russia (and the rights of the latter for self determination) - in other words, many of the same rights that were already guaranteed by the text of the existing Soviet Constitution, but disregarded on a daily basis by Stalin's government. Unlike the Soviet Constitution, however, the Prague Manifesto was anti-communist. It called for the abolishment of collective farms, amidst other things. Many aspects of the Manifesto closely resemble the political program of the Russian emigre organization NTS, of whom several of Vlasov's key men were members (i.e. General Feodor Trukhin).

The Manifesto specified that an "honorable peace" with Germany "not disturbing the honor" of Russia would be concluded. It also stated that the help of the German ally was "welcome" as it provided "the only realistic possibility" of removing Stalin from power.

General Vlasov, the head of the Committee and the commander of the Russian Liberation Army, proclaimed the Prague Manifesto on the 14th of November, 1944, in the city of Prague. The city was chosen because all major Russian cities at this point were already under Soviet control, and Prague was a Slavic city. Ironically, six months later the first division of the Russian Liberation Army participated in the liberation of Prague from the Nazi occupying forces in concert with Czech partisans.