The Dumas

The Dumas

Formation
1. October reforms
  1. censorship abolished 24 November, 1905
  2. electoral laws 11 Dec, 1905
    1. eligible to vote indirectly
      1. all men over 25
      2. peasants
        3 stages
    2. eligible to vote directly
      1. landowners > 200 hectares
    3. ineligible
      1. factory workers
        < 50 people businesses
        labourers
        tradesmen
      2. 60%+ of urban workers
  3. Unions + pol parties legalized 4 March 1906
2. Witte resigned 22 April 1906
  1. negotiated 2.25 billion franc loan from France
  2. replaced by Ivan Goremkin
    1. old-fashioned reactionary
    2. viewed Duma as unnecessary obstacle to govt
3. Undermining
  1. State Council of Imperial Russia upgraded
    1. date??
    2. work in conjunction w. duma
      1. 198-member upper chamber
      2. 1/2 appointed by tsar
      3. 1/2 elected by church, noble and zemstvo assembly
    3. 1/3rd = United Nobility
    4. 'graveyard of Duma hopes'
  2. Fundamental Laws (23 April 1906)
    1. all laws require Tsar's approval
      1. both houses need to agree for laws to be passed
      2. Article 87
        Duma not in sesh/under extreme circum. = Tsar legislate on his own
    2. "possesses the initiative in all legislative matters'
    3. armed forces, declare war, make peace
  3. Stolypin voting reform
    1. 3 June
    2. voting suspended in districts where population had not reached 'sufficient levels of civic development'
    3. 1 in 6 males vote
    4. 1% of pop elects 300/441 deputies
    5. infringement of the Fundamental Laws and the liberals were quick to denounce it as a coup d'etat. Even the Octobrists, the new law's chief beneficiaries, felt uncomfortable with it and aimed to atone for their 'illegal' gains by trying to defend and expand the Duma's powers.
  4. No control of Ministry of Interior, police
  5. govt funded rightist orgs that incited pogroms and tried to assasinate duma leaders
First Duma
1. Opened 27 April 1906
2. Make-up
  1. Coalition
    1. Peasants = 38%
    2. Kadets = 37%
  2. SDs, SRs boycott
  3. 100 Trudovik deputies
3. Actions
  1. 'Address to the Throne'
    1. freedom to strike
    2. abolition of State council
    3. ministerial responsibility to Duma
    4. Nick saw them as anti-govt
      1. Dissolved July 8
  2. vyborg Appeal
    1. 120 Kadets, 80 Trudoviks + SDs
      1. passive resistance
      2. draft avoidance
      3. witholding taxes
    2. Outcome
      1. Kadets banned from next Duma
        over 100 leaders brought to trial
        pursued a more conservative line
        Never again would the Kadets place their trust in the support of 'the people' (Figes)
        Liberalism and the people went their separate ways. (Figes)
      2. sporadic outbursts of violence
Second Duma
1. February 1907
2. Make-up
  1. 200/450 members = left wing
  2. Rightists = 63 (15 in previous)
    1. unworkable
3. Actions
  1. refused to support Stol, reforms
  2. deputies wanted to nationalise land
  3. Dissolved June 3
    1. 'irresponsible and obstructive behaviour'
    2. little public reaction
Third Duma
1. November 1907
2. Make-up
  1. conservative and compliant
  2. right wind dominates
    1. 154 Octobrists/465
    2. 147 rightists
3. Actions
  1. Naval General Staff Bill
    1. Duma threatened to refuse the navy credits unless its strategic planning agency, the Naval General Staff, came under the control of the Ministry rather than the court
    2. Tsar saw in this ultimatum a brazen attempt by the Duma to wrest military command from the crown, and used his veto to block its Naval General Staff Bill
  2. legislation
    1. 200 pieces of legislation
    2. 2500 bill votes
    3. supported Stol, social welfare
    4. power of land captains reduced
    5. Russification
Fourth Duma
1. November 1912
2. Make-up
  1. 95 Octobrists/448
  2. 154 Rightists
  3. Kerensky
3. Actions
  1. voted for own dissolution
    1. August 1914, for duration of war

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	Created by Anastasia Rad about 11 years ago