The Provisional Government declared the convocation of the All-Russian Constituent Assembly to establish government and draft a constitution for the country its main task. However, the election to the Constituent Assembly was postponed several times. Initially, the election was scheduled for September 17, and the convocation of the Assembly – for September 30, then the election was postponed to November 12–14, and the convocation – to November 28.

After the October coup, on October 26, 1917, the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies decided to form the Council of People’s Commissars headed by Vladimir Lenin – the Provisional Workers’ and Peasants’ Government to govern the country until the convocation of the Constituent Assembly. The Council of People’s Commissars confirmed the election date set by the Provisional Government on November 12, 1917. The election to the Constituent Assembly on the main territory of Russia did indeed begin on November 12 and lasted until the end of 1917 – beginning of 1918. However, it soon became clear that the members of the revolutionary democracy had won the election.

On the whole, The Party of Socialist Revolutionaries received the most votes – 39.5%. Together with ethnic Social Revolutionaries (firstly, Ukrainian SRs) and groups close to them ideologically, their proportion reached 60%. The Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (Bolsheviks) received 22.5%, the Constitutional Democratic Party (Kadets) received 4.5%, the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (united) received 3.2%, and Labor Popular-Socialist Party received 0.9%. A sharp polarization of Russian society manifested itself in major cities: in Petrograd, the Bolsheviks received 45% of the vote, the Kadets 26%, in Moscow the Bolsheviks received 48%, Kadets 34%.

The election results contributed to the aggravation of the political situation and the consolidation of the opponents of Soviet power. The figures of the revolutionary democracy drew a contrast between the authority of the Constituent Assembly (the representative body elected by direct universal suffrage) and the Soviets, formed on class principle. In the second half of November the Union for the Defense of the Constituent Assembly was formed, which included representatives of SRs, Popular Socialists, Kadets, etc. In late November – early December, rallies in support of the Constituent Assembly were held in Petrograd, Moscow, and other large cities.

To prevent the strengthening of their opponents, the Bolsheviks aimed to put the convocation of the assembly under their control. On November 26, the Council of People’s Commissars adopted a resolution “On the conditions for the opening of the Constituent Assembly”, according to which the first meeting could be convened under three conditions: the invitation of the Commissioner of the All-Russian Commission for Election to the Constituent Assembly, Moisei Uritsky, opening of the assembly by the commissioner of the Council of People’s Commissars, presence of 400 deputies in the hall. On November 28, after the attempt of SR and Kadet deputies to meet privately in the building of the Tauride Palace, where the Constituent Assembly was to take place, the Council of People’s Commissars adopted a decree “On the arrest of the leaders of the Civil War against the Revolution”, which declared Kadets a party of enemies of the people. At the end of 1917, the soviet government planned to open the Constituent Assembly on January 5, 1918 with a quorum of 400 people. At the same time a state of siege was introduced in Petrograd,  the troops were put on alert, and the guard of the Tauride Palace was strengthened.