II

When the elections for the Duma were held, in March, 1906, the failure of the government’s attempt to capture the body was complete.  It was overwhelmingly a progressive parliament that had been elected.  The Constitutional Democrats, upon a radical program, had elected the largest number of members, 178.  Next came the representatives of the peasants’ organizations, with a program of moderate Socialism, numbering 116.  This group became known in the Duma as the Labor Group.  A third group consisted of 63 representatives of border provinces, mostly advanced Liberals, called Autonomists, on account of their special interest in questions concerning local autonomy.  There were only 28 avowed supporters of the government.  Finally, despite the Socialist boycott of the elections, there were almost as many Socialists elected as there were supporters of the government.

Once more Russia had spoken for democracy in no uncertain voice.  And once more Czarism committed the incredible folly of attempting to stem the tide of democracy by erecting further measures of autocracy as a dam.  Shortly before the time came for the assembling of the newly elected Duma, the Czar’s government announced new fundamental laws which limited the powers of the Duma and practically reduced it to a farce.  In the first place, the Imperial Council was to be reconstituted and set over the Duma as an upper chamber, or Senate, having equal rights with the Duma.  Half of the members of the Imperial Council were to be appointed by the Czar and the other half elected from universities, zemstvos, bourses, and by the clergy and the nobility.  In other words, over the Duma was to be set a body which could always be so manipulated as to insure the defeat of any measure displeasing to the old regime.  And the Czar reserved to himself the power to summon or dissolve the Duma at will, as well as the power to declare war and to make peace and to enter into treaties with other nations.  What a farce was this considered as a fulfilment of the solemn assurances given in October, 1905!

But the reactionary madness went even farther; believing the revolutionary movement to have been crushed to such a degree that it might act with impunity, autocracy took other measures.  Three days before the assembling of the Duma the Czar replaced his old Ministry by one still more reactionary.  At the head of the Cabinet, as Prime Minister, he appointed the notorious reactionary bureaucrat, Goremykin.  With full regard for the bloody traditions of the office, the infamous Stolypin, former Governor of Saratov, was made Minister of the Interior.  At the head of the Department of Agriculture, which was charged with responsibility for dealing with agrarian problems, was placed Stishinsky, a large landowner, bitterly hostile to, and hated by, the peasants.  The composition of the new Ministry was a defiance of the popular will and sentiment, and was so interpreted.