RABIS

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RABIS, also known as Sorabis, was the Soviet-era trade union for art workers. Formed in May 1919 in Bolshevik Russia, it brought together painters, actors, musicians, stagehands, and other creative workers under one umbrella. The name RABIS comes from the Russian words for “Art Workers.” In 1920 a larger all-Russian union, Vserabis, was created, and RABIS/Sorabis served as the local and regional arms of this organization. After the USSR was established, the union was known from 1924 as VSERABIS (the All-Union Trade Union of Art Workers), with city variants like Petrorabis (Petrograd), Mosgubrabis (Moscow region), and Gruzrabis (Georgia).

What RABIS did
- United many smaller art workers’ unions (Actors, Stagehands, Theatrical Employees, Painters, Sculptors, Musicians, etc.).
- Registered and protected workers, helped regulate wages and working hours, and promoted welfare and labor protection.
- Worked to raise the class consciousness of its members and represented their interests to state and public institutions.
- Was active in politics and, during the Civil War, aligned with the Red movement.

Key events in brief
- First All-Russian Congress of Art Workers (Moscow, May 7, 1919): 23 delegates represented about 25,000 art workers and established RABIS, taking over many rights from the Russian Theatrical Society.
- Second All-Russian Congress (June 2–10, 1920): over 100 delegates represented about 50,780 members. Leaders complained about weak state support and sought an independent arts governance body. A compromise allowed RABIS to participate through the People’s Commissariat of Education; direct management by the union was restricted.
- Merger with Rabpros (Union of Education Workers): Deciding to merge, the All-Union Trade Union of Art Workers (Vserabis) and Rabpros united in 1921, and by July 1921 the merged organization continued under the broader VSERABIS umbrella.
- The Third All-Russian Congress of the Union (Oct 2–8, 1921): reformed the statute and created sections for different art sectors (drama, music, visual arts, cinema, literature, theatre staff, etc.).

1922–1924 and beyond
- 1922 saw the formation of AKhRR (Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia), another major art group.
- In 1924 the union’s name shifted to VSERABIS (preserving the same abbreviation), confirming its status as a union of art workers across the Soviet Union.
- World War II saw special state patronage for culture; in 1953 VSERABIS merged into a single Union of Culture Workers.

OGPU and Sorabis
- Some GPU (OGPU) officials were members of Sorabis, and there are records of forged membership books used to control people, including a notorious case related to the poet Sergey Yesenin.

Membership and publications
- 1919: about 25,000 members; 1923: about 50,000; 1926: about 81,000; 1953: about 150,000.
- The magazine Herald of Art Workers (1920–1926) served as a press organ; it was renamed Rabis from 1927 to 1934.

RABIS also had a sports side: its own volleyball club defeated Dynamo Moscow in a match. Over time, the organization helped shape culture and labor in Soviet art, evolving into a broader cultural union and leaving a lasting mark on Soviet cultural administration.