Was the party a liberal party? Formation of political parties

In tsarist Russia, liberal was the party of constitutional democrats, or, in short, the Cadets. In the State Duma of the beginning of the 20th century other political organizations with a similar program were also represented. For example, such was the "Union of October 17".

The emergence of liberal parties

In 1905, after the defeat of Russia in the war against Japan, the first national revolution took place. Nicholas II could not suppress it by force, he had to yield to his opponents. October 17, 1905, he gave the manifesto, according to which the Russian Empire established the State Duma.

The political forces opposing the then monarchical order finally got the opportunity to act in the legal field. It was in 1905 that real democratic organizations appeared.

Cadets

Among the liberal parties that emerged was the party of constitutional democrats (also called the People's Freedom Party). The decision on the appearance of this organization was made in July 1905 at the next congress of zemstvo figures. Thus, the party included people who previously worked in provincial municipalities. They, like no one, were close to the lives of ordinary people who lived in the cities of the Russian Empire.

The founding congress was held in Moscow in October 1905. In the Great Patriotic War at that time there were mass strikes, strikes of transport workers and even fighting clashes. In these difficult conditions, the cadets began their activity. The leader of the party was Pavel Milyukov, a well-known publicist and historian.

Electorate of constitutional democrats

Since the liberal party was the Cadets, its electorate consisted of intellectuals and Zemstvo nobility, distinguished by pro-Western forward views. The organization itself included representatives of the urban bourgeoisie, teachers, doctors and some landowners. If the liberal political party was an SR, it would become an ally of constitutional democrats. But the social revolutionaries were left-wing. It was to them that the workers joined. This was associated with the low popularity of the Cadets in the proletarian milieu.

In addition, the Milyukov party, from the very beginning of its existence, has taken the course to achieve its goals through parliamentary methods and compromises with the authorities. If a part of the workers in 1905 supported this organization, in time it went to socialists or Bolsheviks.

The Cadet Party was a liberal party, and therefore it supported the February revolution. It was in 1917 that she experienced her heyday. The number of people who joined the organization increased several times. Miliukov was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Provisional Government of Russia.

Cadet Program

The program of constitutional democrats included the classical points for liberal parties. They advocated the equality of all citizens of Russia, regardless of religion, nationality or gender. Miliukov and his supporters considered it necessary for the country to have freedom of speech, conscience, the press, alliances and meetings. Most of these requirements were met after the 1905 revolution. At the same time, precisely because of their position, Milyukov's supporters protested against the state reaction that came during the premiership of Peter Stolypin.

In fact, the Cadet Party is a liberal democratic party. The ideology of this organization, in particular, included the concept of universal suffrage. In addition, the constitutional democrats advocated the freedom of national definition of different ethnic groups of the empire. It was a very sharp point of the program, because the Polish question was still not resolved. Any liberal-democratic party is hardly the first and foremost demand of an independent court. Among the cadets there were many professional lawyers and lawyers. Thanks to this, all proposed bills of the party were distinguished by detail and thoughtfulness.

The socialist features of the program of constitutional democrats were manifested in the paragraph on the introduction of an 8-hour working day. Almost all organizations represented in the State Duma were in solidarity with this demand. Therefore, the new labor legislation was indeed adopted even under tsarist rule.

End of the party

On the night of the October Revolution, the Cadets, who were ministers in the Provisional Government, were arrested. Later, all the other prominent figures of the party got into prison, except those who managed to escape from the country. Some of the arrested were in the first rows of those shot during the Civil War.

But in November 1917 the Cadets managed to take part in the elections to the Constituent Assembly. They received many votes, since they were the only serious anti-Bolshevik force. Constitutional Democrats were supported even by former opponents (except left-wing radicals). However, on December 12, 1917, the Council of People's Commissars recognized the Cadets as a "party of enemies of the people". The organization was banned. The leader of the Cadets, Milyukov, managed to escape from Russia. He died in France in 1943.

Party of the Octobrists

Another important organization of the remaining moderate right-wing parties is the liberal-democratic Octobrist party. It was supported by wealthy entrepreneurs and large landowners. The name of the party was a reference to October 17, 1905 - the date of signing the Manifesto, which granted many freedoms after the first national revolution.

The head of the organization was Alexander Guchkov. In the years 1910-1911. He even was the chairman of the III State Duma. In the Provisional Government, the leader of the Octobrists received a portfolio of the military and naval minister. During the revolution of 1905-1906. The party consisted of 75,000 people. The Union of October 17 had its own newspaper "The Voice of Moscow".

Government allies

In the first two convocations of the State Duma, the Octobrists were few (16 and 43 respectively). A breakthrough for the party occurred after June 3, 1907, amendments were made to the electoral law. The reform reduced the number of socialists in parliament. In their place came a lot of Octobrists, the number of which reached 154. The party's great popularity is explained by the fact that it occupied moderate positions and became the object of a public compromise.

The Octobrists were even closer to the old order than the Cadets. Pyotr Stolypin relied on Guchkov's deputies when the government tried to pass through the State Duma drafts of unpopular but necessary reforms. The first two convocations of the State Duma were forcibly disbanded precisely because those parliamentarians were basically socialists and prevented them from enacting laws.

If the political party of the RSDLP were a liberal party, it would also be represented widely. But the Bolsheviks from the very beginning were not only socialists, but also used revolutionary methods to combat power. The Octobrists wanted to achieve change by peaceful means, by seeking agreements with the state.

The split of the Octobrists

In 1913, Guchkov's supporters split. Since the liberal party was the Octobrist political party, it was extremely important for its participants to observe civil liberties in Russia. But after the first national revolution, the state went to reactionary measures against its notorious opponents. Among the Octobrists appeared a group that issued an opposition resolution. In the document, the signatories accused the government of violating the rights of Russian citizens.

As a result, the party split into three factions in the State Duma. A left wing, led by Guchkov, and the right Zemstvo Octobrists appeared, led by Mikhail Rodzianko. A small group of independent deputies also separated. The party crisis began. In 1915 the newspaper Golos Moskvy closed down. The Central Committee ceased to be convened. Thus, the Octobrists disappeared from the political field of the country even before the revolutions and the Bolshevik coup. The left wing of the party entered the Progressive Bloc. Some former leaders of the Octobrists were notable political figures in Russia until the summer of 1917.