Work of the 1st State Duma. State Duma of the Russian Empire

• The subject of the history of state and law of Russia and its place in the system of legal sciences
  • Subject and methods of the history of state and law of Russia
  • Problems of periodization of the history of the Russian state and law
  • The place of the history of state and law of Russia in the system of legal sciences
  • Problems of historiography of the history of state and law of Russia
• Old Russian state and law (IX-XII centuries)
  • The emergence of statehood Eastern Slavs
  • Formation of the Old Russian state. Norman and anti-Norman theories of the origin of the Old Russian state
  • Public and political system Old Russian state
  • Formation of Old Russian law
  • Russian Truth - the largest monument of law of Kievan Rus
• Feudal states and law during the period political fragmentation(XII-XIV centuries)
  • Causes feudal fragmentation Rus'
  • Galicia-Volyn and Rostov-Suzdal principalities
  • Novgorod and Pskov feudal republics
  • Development of feudal Russian law
• Formation of a unified Russian (Moscow) centralized state(XIV-XV centuries)
  • Formation of the Russian centralized state
  • Social order Russian centralized state
  • The political system of the Russian centralized state
  • Law code 1497
• State and law of Russia during the period of the estate-representative monarchy (XVI-XVII centuries)
  • Government reforms mid-16th century V.
  • Social and state system of the estate-representative monarchy
  • Church and church law
  • Law code 1550
  • Cathedral Code of 1649
• The formation of absolutism in Russia. Reforms of Peter I
  • Prerequisites for the formation of absolutism in Russia. Social composition population
  • Estate reforms of Peter I
  • Reforms of the central state apparatus under Peter I
  • Local government reforms under Peter I
  • Military, financial and church reform Peter I
  • Proclamation of Russia as an empire
  • Formation new system rights under Peter I

First State Dumas

Elections in I State Duma(based on the Regulations on elections to the State Duma - as amended by the Tsar's decree of December 11, 1905) took place in February-March 1906, when public passions were still running high in the country. The elections were boycotted by the Bolsheviks, Socialist Revolutionaries and the right. A total of 478 deputies were elected to the First Duma (including 176 cadets, 105 non-party members, 97 peasant labor workers, 18 social democrats (Mensheviks), 16 Octobrists). On April 27, 1906, the First State Duma began work in the Tauride Palace. This Duma was called the “Duma of People’s Wrath” in liberal newspapers: the most radical demands were heard almost daily: to declare a general amnesty (a political amnesty was declared in October 1905), to create a responsible government, to introduce universal suffrage, to allocate land to the peasants .

In one of its very first resolutions, the First State Duma demanded: the confiscation and division of landowners' lands; abolition of the second chamber - the State Council (which Stolypin called “ice tired souls"); government resignation.

1 The Duma lasted a little more than two months and devoted most of its time to discussing the most pressing issue social life Russia - agricultural. Two projects were proposed - the cadets’ project and the Trudoviks’ project: the cadets’ project provided for additional allocation of land to peasants at the expense of state, monastic, appanage lands, as well as through the partial alienation of privately owned lands for ransom “at a fair (but not market) price”; the Trudoviks’ project was even more radical in nature and provided for the alienation of landowners’ land in excess of the “labor norm”, the creation of a “people’s land fund” and the introduction of equalized land use.

On June 20, 1906, the government issued a statement that spoke of the inviolability of private land ownership. In response to this, the Duma, at the very beginning of July 1906, decided: to appeal, bypassing the government, directly to the population, which would never retreat and would not allow itself to be deviated from the principle of forced acquisition of private lands.

It was a dead end. On July 9, 1906, the First State Duma was dissolved (it worked for 72 days) and new elections were announced. The next day, a group of cadets and Trudoviks gathered in Vyborg, where they published the “Vyborg Appeal,” in which, as a sign of protest “against the dissolution of the people’s representation,” the population was called upon to passively resist: not pay taxes, avoid military service. The appeal also called on foreign governments not to provide loans to Russia. But this action had no success.

Elections in II State Duma took place at the beginning of 1907. A total of 518 deputies were elected (Trudoviks - 104, Cadets - 98, Social Democrats - 68, non-party members - 50, Octobrists - 44, Socialist Revolutionaries - 37, etc.).

The Second State Duma began work on February 20, 1907; it turned out to be even more opposed to the autocracy than the previous one. According to the authoritative opinion of Stolypin, “It was difficult to disperse the First Duma, and difficult to preserve the Second.”

On June 1, 1907, Chairman of the Council of Ministers Stolypin spoke at a closed meeting of the Duma with a message about an anti-government conspiracy, in which members of the State Duma allegedly took part. Stolypin demanded the deprivation of parliamentary immunity of 55 members of the Duma (from the Social Democratic faction), as well as consent to the arrest of the 15 deputies most involved in the conspiracy. The Duma avoided voting on this issue, transferring it to a commission that was supposed to give its conclusion on July 4.

But on the night of June 3, 1907, the police arrested members of the Social Democratic faction (they were put on trial and sentenced to various terms of hard labor and exile). And on the afternoon of June 3, 1907, the Tsar’s Manifesto on the dissolution of the State Duma was published. At the same time, various accusations were made against the Duma and the conclusion was drawn that the failure of the Duma was explained by the penetration of unworthy persons into its ranks due to the imperfection of the electoral law. In this regard, a new Regulation on elections to the State Duma was issued (in accordance with which the Third Duma was elected in 1907, and the Fourth Duma in 1912). This was a clear violation of the Manifesto of October 17, 1905 and the Basic Laws of 1906, according to which the tsar could not unilaterally change the electoral law.

All these actions of the tsar gave researchers reason to talk about the “June 3rd coup d’etat.”

In accordance with the new Regulations on elections to the State Duma, voting rights were deprived of: women; persons under 25 years of age; persons studying in educational institutions; persons with valid military service; foreign nationals; wandering foreigners (native population of the Far North, forest areas of Siberia and Far East engaged in hunting and fishing); indigenous people Central Asia.

All voters were divided into the following curiae: (1) the curia of landowners; (2) the first curia of urban voters; (3) a second curia of urban voters; (4) curia of volost representatives; (5) curia of authorized representatives Cossack villages; (6) a curia of workers' representatives.

All of the listed curiae at district congresses elected electors who made up the provincial electoral assemblies, which elected members of the State Duma. But, in addition, the election of members of the State Duma from St. Petersburg, Moscow, Odessa, Riga was carried out by direct voting of voters living in these cities, the number of which was limited by a high property qualification.

Opened on April 27, 1906 The State Duma - the first meeting of people's representatives in the history of Russia with legislative rights.

The first elections to the State Duma were held in an atmosphere of ongoing revolutionary upsurge and high civic activity of the population. For the first time in Russian history, legal political parties, open political campaigning began. These elections brought a convincing victory to the Cadets - the People's Freedom Party, the most organized and included in its composition the flower of the Russian intelligentsia. Extreme left parties (Bolsheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries) boycotted the elections. Some peasant deputies and radical intellectuals formed a “labor group” in the Duma. Moderate deputies formed the “peaceful renewal” faction, but their number was not much more than 5% of the total composition of the Duma. The right found itself in the minority in the First Duma.
The State Duma opened on April 27, 1906. S.A. Muromtsev, a professor, prominent lawyer, and representative of the Kadet Party, was almost unanimously elected Chairman of the Duma.

The composition of the Duma was determined to be 524 members. The elections were neither universal nor equal. Voting rights were available to Russian male subjects who had reached the age of 25 and met a number of class and property requirements. Students, military personnel and persons on trial or convicted were not allowed to participate in the elections.
Elections were carried out in several stages, according to curiae formed according to the class and property principle: landowners, peasants and city curia. Electors from the curiae formed provincial assemblies, which elected deputies. Most big cities had a separate representative office. Elections on the outskirts of the empire were carried out in curiae, formed mainly on the religious and national principle with the provision of advantages to the Russian population. The so-called “wandering foreigners” were generally deprived of the right to vote. In addition, the representation of the outskirts was reduced. A separate workers' curia was also formed, which elected 14 Duma deputies. In 1906, there was one elector for every 2 thousand landowners (mostly landowners), 4 thousand city dwellers, 30 thousand peasants and 90 thousand workers.
The State Duma was elected for a five-year term, but even before the expiration of this term it could be dissolved at any time by decree of the emperor. At the same time, the emperor was obliged by law to simultaneously appoint new elections to the Duma and the date of its convening. Meetings of the Duma could also be interrupted at any time by imperial decree. The duration of the annual sessions of the State Duma and the timing of breaks during the year were determined by the decrees of the emperor.

The main competence of the State Duma was budgetary. The state list of income and expenses, together with the financial estimates of ministries and main departments, was subject to consideration and approval by the Duma, with the exception of: loans for expenses of the Ministry of the Imperial Household and the institutions under its jurisdiction in amounts not exceeding the list of 1905, and changes in these loans due to “ Institution on the Imperial Family"; loans for expenses not provided for in estimates for “emergency needs during the year” (in an amount not exceeding the 1905 list); payments on government debts and other government obligations; income and expenses included in the painting project on the basis of existing laws, regulations, states, schedules and imperial orders given in the manner of supreme administration.

The I and II Dumas were dissolved before their deadline, the sessions of the IV Duma were interrupted by a decree on February 25, 1917. Only the III Duma worked for a full term.

I State Duma(April-July 1906) - lasted 72 days. The Duma is predominantly cadet. The first meeting opened on April 27, 1906. Distribution of seats in the Duma: Octobrists - 16, Cadets 179, Trudoviks 97, non-party 105, representatives of the national outskirts 63, Social Democrats 18. Workers, at the call of the RSDLP and Socialist Revolutionaries, mostly boycotted the elections to the Duma. 57% of the agrarian commission were cadets. They introduced an agrarian bill into the Duma, which dealt with the forced alienation, for a fair remuneration, of that part of the landowners' lands that were cultivated on the basis of a semi-serf labor system or were leased to peasants in bondage. In addition, state, office and monastic lands were alienated. All land will be transferred to the state land fund, from which peasants will be allocated it as private property. As a result of the discussion, the commission recognized the principle of forced alienation of land. In May 1906, the head of government, Goremykin, issued a declaration in which he denied the Duma the right to resolve the agrarian question in a similar way, as well as the expansion of voting rights, a ministry responsible to the Duma, the abolition of the State Council, and political amnesty. The Duma expressed no confidence in the government, but the latter could not resign (since it was responsible to the tsar). A Duma crisis arose in the country. Some ministers spoke in favor of the Cadets joining the government. Miliukov raised the question of a purely Cadet government, a general political amnesty, the abolition death penalty, liquidation of the State Council, universal suffrage, forced alienation of landowners' lands. Goremykin signed a decree dissolving the Duma. In response, about 200 deputies signed an appeal to the people in Vyborg, where they called on them to passive resistance.

II State Duma(February-June 1907) - opened on February 20, 1907 and operated for 103 days. 65 Social Democrats, 104 Trudoviks, 37 Socialist Revolutionaries entered the Duma. There were 222 people in total. The peasant question remained central. Trudoviks proposed 3 bills, the essence of which was to develop free farm on free land. On June 1, 1907, Stolypin, using a fake, decided to get rid of the strong left wing and accused 55 Social Democrats of conspiring to establish a republic. The Duma created a commission to investigate the circumstances. The commission came to the conclusion that the accusation was a complete forgery. On June 3, 1907, the Tsar signed a manifesto dissolving the Duma and changing the electoral law. The coup d'état of June 3, 1907 meant the end of the revolution.

III State Duma(1907-1912) - 442 deputies.

Activities of the III Duma:

06/03/1907 - change in the electoral law.

The majority in the Duma was made up of the right-wing Octobrist and Octobrist-Cadet bloc. Party composition: Octobrists, Black Hundreds, Cadets, Progressives, Peaceful Renovationists, Social Democrats, Trudoviks, non-party members, Muslim group, deputies from Poland. Largest quantity The Octobrist party had deputies (125 people). Over 5 years of work, 2197 bills were approved

Main questions:

1) worker: 4 bills were considered by the commission min. Finnish Kokovtsev (on insurance, on conflict commissions, on reducing the working day, on the elimination of the law punishing participation in strikes). They were adopted in 1912 in a limited form.

2) national question: on zemstvos in the western provinces (the issue of creating electoral curiae on a national basis; the law was adopted regarding 6 of 9 provinces); Finnish question (an attempt by political forces to achieve independence from Russia, a law was passed on equalizing the rights of Russian citizens with Finnish ones, a law on the payment of 20 million marks by Finland in exchange for military service, a law limiting the rights of the Finnish Sejm).

3) agrarian question: associated with the Stolypin reform.

Conclusion: The June Third system is the second step towards transforming the autocracy into a bourgeois monarchy.

Elections: multi-stage (occurred in 4 unequal curiae: landowner, urban, workers, peasants). Half of the population (women, students, military personnel) were deprived of the right to vote.

IV State Duma(1912-1917) - Chairman Rodzianko. The Duma was dissolved by the provisional government with the start of elections to the Constituent Assembly.

- the highest legislative representative body of Russia in 1906-1917. Practical steps to create in Russia a higher representative body similar to an elected parliament were undertaken in the context of the outbreak of the First Russian Revolution (1905-1907).

Initially, it was intended to create a representative body with purely legislative functions (Bulyginskaya Duma). However, in times of crisis state power in the fall of 1905, Emperor Nicholas II was forced to issue the Manifesto on October 30 (October 17, old style) 1905, in which he declared the creation of the State Duma as the lower house of parliament with limited legislative rights.

The procedure for elections to the First Duma was determined in the election law issued in December 1905. According to it, four electoral curiae were established: landowning, urban, peasant and workers. According to the workers' curia, only those proletarians who were employed in enterprises with at least 50 employees were allowed to participate in the elections. The elections themselves were not universal (women, young people under 25, military personnel, a number of national minorities were excluded), not equal (one elector per the landowner curia for 2 thousand voters, in the urban curia - for 4 thousand, in the peasant curia - for 30, in the workers' curia - for 90 thousand), not direct - two-degree, but for workers and peasants - three- and four-degree.

The total number of elected Duma deputies in different time ranged from 480 to 525 people.

All deputies had equal rights. By law they were not responsible to voters. Members of the Duma were elected for five years, but the emperor could terminate the powers of all deputies early. The duration of Duma sessions and the timing of breaks between them was determined by the emperor. The work of the State Duma was led by a chairman who was elected by deputies. Members of the Duma enjoyed (with a number of reservations) immunity from prosecution and received large salaries and travel allowances.

The State Duma of the Russian Empire considered draft new laws and staffing tables of all government institutions, a state list of income and expenses together with financial estimates of departments, as well as projects of above-estimated allocations from the treasury (with the exception of estimates and expenses for the Ministry of the Imperial Household and Appanages, if they did not exceed the estimate of this ministry for 1906), reports of the State Control on the execution of state registration, part of the cases on the alienation of state income or property, as well as cases on the construction railways on the initiative and at the expense of the treasury.

If the Duma refused to approve the department's budget, ministers could make expenses only in the amount of the previous year's allocations, which, given the constant growth of the state budget revenues, would significantly limit the capabilities of the relevant departments. The bills approved by the State Duma were submitted to the State Council for consideration and, if approved, were presented to the emperor, who could reject or accept them. If the bill was developed on the initiative of members of the State Council and approved by them, the Duma considered it and, if approved, submitted it to the emperor for consideration and approval.

On May 6 (April 23, old style), 1906, Nicholas II approved a set of Basic State Laws, which the Duma could only change at the initiative of the Tsar.

Decisions of the Duma could be overturned by the State Council (upper house). The emperor retained full power to govern the country through a government responsible only to him.

In the intervals between meetings of the Duma, in urgent cases, the emperor could issue a law by his decree (his right did not extend to the Basic State Laws, laws on the State Duma, the State Council and elections to them); with the resumption of meetings of the Duma, such a law had to be approved by it , otherwise its effect would cease. The Duma had the right to send inquiries to ministers and chief managers about illegal (from the point of view of deputies) actions of officials. The heads of central departments were obliged to provide explanations or report the reasons for the refusal within a month. If 2/3 of the Duma members found these explanations unsatisfactory, the deputies’ request was submitted to the emperor for consideration.

In total, elections to four convocations of the State Duma of the Russian Empire took place. The First State Duma existed from May 10 (April 27, old style) to July 21 (8, old style) 1906; its chairman was cadet, professor at St. Petersburg University Sergei Muromtsev. The Second State Duma acted from March 5 (February 20, old style) to June 16 (3, old style) 1907; cadet Fyodor Golovin was elected its chairman. The pretext for dispersing the Duma was the accusation of a military conspiracy against the Social Democratic faction. The dissolution of the Second State Duma on June 16 (3 according to the old style) and the publication of a new electoral law, which significantly curtailed the voting rights of the population, went down in history under the name of the “June Third Coup”.

Elections to the Third State Duma took place in the fall of 1907. According to the new electoral law, the rights of a number of categories of the population were significantly curtailed: the number of representatives from the peasantry and workers, from Poland and the Caucasus was reduced, the peoples of Siberia and Central Asia lost the right of representation. The voting rights of the landowner class were significantly expanded. Landowners and big bourgeoisie received two thirds total number electors, workers and peasants were left with about a quarter of the electors. Workers and peasant electors were deprived of the right to elect deputies from among themselves; the right was transferred to the provincial electoral assembly as a whole.

The Third Duma, the only one of the four, served the entire five-year term - from November 1907 to June 1912. The Octobrist Nikolai Khomyakov was elected Chairman of the Third Duma, who was replaced in March 1910 by the prominent merchant and industrialist Alexander Guchkov, and from 1911 by one of the Octobrist leaders, Mikhail Rodzianko.

The Fourth Duma, chaired by Rodzianko, arose in the pre-crisis period for Russia and the whole world - the eve of the World War and lasted from November 1912 to March 1917. It was liquidated as a result of the February Revolution of 1917. On March 12 (February 27, old style), 1917, the Provisional Committee of the State Duma was formed, which played an important role in the overthrow of the autocracy. Formally, the Duma continued to exist until October 19 (6 old style) 1917, when it was dissolved by the Provisional Government.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

On July 9, 1906, Nicholas II dissolved the State Duma of the Russian Empire of the first convocation. This was the first attempt to create a representative legislative body in the country. Before February revolution In 1917, the State Duma was convened three more times.

Grand opening of the State Duma

After the revolution of 1905, Nicholas II was faced with the task of transferring the monarchy from autocratic to parliamentary. This is how the State Duma appeared. It was assigned the role of a legislative advisory body. The first convocation was elected for five years and served for 72 days. During this time, the deputies managed to hold one session. Each subsequent convocation worked longer.

The State Duma of the first convocation worked less than the next three

The procedure for holding elections in each of the four convocations assumed that not all residents of the country could vote: only owners of large real estate; taxpayers who contributed the most to the treasury; a small percentage of those who could participate in the elections were peasants.

The procedure was multi-stage: those who had the right to vote were divided into curia, each of which elected electors to the assembly of district voters, which then elected as many deputies as were due from the given district. The government and the emperor abandoned the idea of ​​direct, equal and secret elections, fearing that in a peasant country where the majority of the population was not sophisticated in political art, they would lead to victory of irresponsible demagogues.

Radicals boycotted the elections to the State Duma of the first convocation

The first convocation was less representative in terms of political trends. Members of left-wing and far-right parties boycotted the elections under the pretext that the Duma did not have real power.

State Duma meeting

The lower house of parliament was extremely opposed to the government and the emperor. This ultimately led to its dissolution. Subsequently, amendments were made to the electoral legislation so that the composition of the State Duma was selected more loyal to executive power. As a result, the election procedure became more complicated, which provoked an increase in distrust in the Duma as an institution of power.

At the meetings of the first convocation, extremely pressing issues were raised. In the future, the deputies did not allow themselves such radical behavior. Questions about the amnesty of all political prisoners, the abolition of the death penalty, the abolition of the State Council, the establishment of responsibility of the Council of Ministers before the Duma, the allocation of land to peasants - the deputies whiled away the time at the meetings discussing these topics.

Over time, the procedure for elections to the State Duma only became more complicated

The government refused almost all the proposals and demands of the Duma. Moreover, in early June, the Council of Ministers, accusing the Duma of escalating the situation and unnerving the population, decided to dissolve it. A month later, a corresponding decree of Nicholas II followed.

Political cartoon, 1906

“Instead of working on legislative construction, they deviated into an area that did not belong to them and turned to investigating the actions of those assigned by Us local authorities, to pointing out to Us the imperfections of the Fundamental Laws, changes to which can only be undertaken by Our Monarch’s will, and to actions that are clearly illegal, such as an appeal on behalf of the Duma to the population. Confused by such disorders, the peasantry, not expecting a legal improvement in their situation, moved in a number of provinces to open robbery, theft of other people’s property, disobedience to the law and legitimate authorities,” said the manifesto on the dissolution of the State Duma.

The Duma of the first convocation was perhaps the least bureaucratic. Over time, the period for considering legislative initiatives became longer, and the procedure itself became more complex. Numerous committees for the preliminary examination of documents, an office and other departments appeared.

The First State Duma began its work in April 1906, which marked the beginning of representative government in Russia. By law it was convened for five years; its deputies had the right to discuss bills, the budget and make requests to ministers appointed by the sovereign; military affairs and foreign policy were beyond her control.

Most left-wing parties boycotted the elections to the First Duma. The Cadet Party won the elections, managing to win over voters from representatives of national minorities and the peasantry, to whom they promised reforms. Cadets received more than a third of all places. Duma deputies put forward the main demands of the liberals: the introduction of general elections, the abolition of all restrictions on the legislative activity of the Duma, personal responsibility of ministers, a guarantee of civil liberties, including the right to strike, the development agrarian reform, satisfaction of the demands of national minorities, abolition of the death penalty, complete political amnesty. They were convinced that the tsar would not dare to touch the “people's representatives.” Having received a categorical refusal from the government, the Duma by a majority vote demanded his immediate resignation.

Using the draft agrarian law adopted by the Duma, according to which peasants could receive the lands they rent for “fair compensation,” the government, considering this issue, despite its importance, to be beyond the competence of the Duma, dissolved it 72 days after the start of work. The fact that it was the agrarian question that served as the reason for the dissolution was significant: the agrarian question turned into a political question - about the form of government.

Elections to the Second Duma were held on the basis of the previous law, and it turned out to be even more radical than the previous one. The meetings began in February 1907. And again, the land issue arose at the center of the conflict between the government and the Duma: the Trudoviks (a group of populist deputies) and the Cadets put their agrarian projects for discussion, somewhat softening a number of demands. Meanwhile, acts of revolutionary terror resumed everywhere. Under pressure from the conservative press, the government decided to again announce the dissolution of the Duma, but in order not to link it again with agrarian question, accused a number of deputies of conspiring against royal family. The manifesto proclaiming the dissolution of the Duma also announced fundamental changes to the election law.

The new law was developed in conditions of absolute secrecy and again returned the country to absolutism, tightening the electoral qualifications, reducing the representation of peasants and national minorities, and increasing inequality in the representation of classes. The period opened by the Manifesto on October 17, when the first Russian history the attempt to combine autocracy with a constitutional form of government ended. At this stage, victory was undoubtedly on the side of the tsarist government: the government received a submissive Duma, whose functions were limited to approving the laws presented to it. Since this measure completely contradicted the Manifesto of October 17, according to which not a single law could be adopted without the consent of the Duma and the State Council, the events of June 3, 1907 - the dissolution of the Duma and changes in the electoral law - can be considered a “coup d’etat”, and the period the period that followed is usually called the period of the “June Third Monarchy.” The June 3rd coup d'etat marked the defeat of the revolution of 1905-1907. However, 1907 was in no way a return to 1904: according to S.Y. Witte, “a revolution in the minds has taken place.”