The Duma & Political Stalemate

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The Government and the Duma

Tsar Nicholas II and Peter Stolypin struggled to keep a good relationship with the Duma (the Russian parliament).

The October Manifesto introduced the Duma to pacify the people.
But on the 8th of July 1906, after the Duma had been running 2 months, the tsar quickly dissolved the Duma because it was too radical. The Duma (Russian parliament) was meant to run for a term of 5 years.
On the 21st of July 1906, the tsar made Stolypin the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, effectively replacing the Duma.
The 2nd Duma was opened on the 20th of February 1907 but was abandoned after 3 months.

The 2nd Duma was more radical than the 1st because the Socialists, Bolsheviks, and Mensheviks all decided to stand for election to the Duma.
There were twice as many radicals in the Duma as moderates, making law-making hard.
Stolypin & Tsar Nicholas tried to prosecute members of the Duma, thinking that they were encouraging a mutiny among Russia's military and naval forces.

With the 2nd Duma being made up of very radical socialists, Stolypin changed Russian law to try to get a more moderate Duma.
Peasants' and workers' votes were downgraded so that peasants and workers were less represented (they had been voting for the extreme socialists).
Instead, the aristocracy, landowners and wealthy had more of a say in who became a representative in the Duma.

The third Duma was more moderate. It lasted the intended term of 5 years, instead of being abandoned after a few months.

The third Duma was called in November 1907.
It was made up mainly of Octobrists, who won 154 of the 509 seats. The socialist Trudoviks lost 91 seats in this election. The Octobrists were members of a political party called the 'Union of October 17'. These politicians supported the commitments made by the tsar in the 1905 October Manifesto.
Because peasant and worker votes were worth less in the selection of the Duma, the third Duma was more moderate.
The third Duma worked reasonably well and showed that a 'constitutional monarchy' could work.

It was still difficult for the tsar to pass legislation through parliament, instead of forcing it through using emergency decrees or martial law.
In the 5 year sitting of the third Duma, only 200 of 2,500 pieces of legislation proposed were approved by the Duma.
Speaking about the dissolution of the second Duma was taboo in Russia. Nobody was permitted to talk about it.

Stolypin created the 'Council on Local Economic Affairs', which was known as the 'ante-Duma'.
One member of the ante-Duma described the ante-Duma as a 'wise and undoubtedly useful' idea.
The proposed legislation was discussed by the ante-Duma before presenting it to the actual elected Duma.
This was an attempt to build consensus and seems to work a combination of a coalition and a pre-mortem (attempt to see what could go wrong before it does).

Stolypin became more powerful. He was the Prime Minister of Russia, his reforms were working well, and he controlled the Duma and the ante-Duma.

In 1909, Stolypin passed the 'Naval General Staff Bill' through the Duma.
The Tsar and monarch had traditionally controlled the military. Tsar Nicholas II vetoed the bill.
The tsar thought that Stolypin was over-reaching and trying to claim too much power.

Stolypin wanted to introduce 'zemstva' (local councils) in the west.
Stolypin threatened to resign over the matter but the tsar persuaded him to stay by agreeing to banish Stolypin's right-wing opponents (Durnovo and Trepov) who were undermining his 'zemstva'.
Everyone in the Duma waved Durnovo off at the train station in protest against Stolypin's abuse of power.
Stolypin also demanded confirmation of the decision in writing, destroying his relationship with Tsar Nicholas II by implying he did not trust him & his word.

In 1911, Stolypin was ill and sickly.
On the 14th of September 1911, whilst watching the opera 'Tsar' Saltan', he was shot by Mordka Bogrov, a member of the Russian secret police.
World War 1 would put a halt to most of Stolypin's reforms.