In October 1905, the Russian Empire proclaimed a new state order as a manifesto. The convocation of the State Duma was announced, for seats in which the newly created parties could compete. Until that moment, they were outside the law in Russia. Progressives were among the party structures that formed after this historic document.
At the origins
The Progressive Party dates back to 1908. At this time, opportunities arose to unite the political views of the Moscow bourgeoisie and the Cadets intellectuals. They were actively looking for an opportunity to create their own party for the subsequent establishment of ties with the Moscow bourgeois.
Until this moment, in the period from 1905 to 1907, the future Progressives could not create their own organization. The bearers of their ideas were included in various liberal structures or in the State Duma of the 1st and 2nd convocations were non-partisan.
PartyThe Progressives, or Progressive Party, was formed in 1912. At this time, young representatives of the Moscow merchants, with the active participation of the we althy bourgeois A. I. Konovalov and P. P. Ryapushinsky, conducted an active campaign, for which they used the newspaper Morning of Russia. The main object of propaganda was the commercial and industrial circles of Moscow, with an emphasis on representatives of the new liberal generation.
The main direction of the agitation was attempts to attract the big bourgeoisie to the creation of a new liberal movement for the implementation of broad political and economic programs. Another feature of the political agitation of the future Progressives was the intention to establish ties with the Russian countryside and the leaders of the Old Believers.
Congress and adoption of the program
The First Congress of the Progressive Party was held from 11 to 13 November 1912 in the city of St. Petersburg. At this constituent assembly, the leadership was elected, the program (Duma program) was adopted, and the tactics of work were outlined.
Provisions of the program document included the following main points:
- liquidation of administrative arbitrariness, as well as the deliverance of Russia from enhanced and emergency security;
- termination of the electoral law of June 3, 1907 (the Democrats of the time called it the "Third of June coup d'état", according to which the voting rights of the population were seriously curtailed);
- creation of a people's government with the expansion of its rights;
- reforming the State Council of the Russianempire;
- ensure freedom of speech, press, unions and assembly;
- creation in Russia of real inviolability of the individual and freedom of conscience;
- ensuring the self-determination of the peoples that were part of the Russian Empire;
- elimination of estate privileges and estate restrictions;
- carrying out reforms of zemstvo and city government.
In the final moments of the program of the progressive party in 1912, it was supposed to establish a constitutional monarchy in Russia, in which the ministers were accountable to the created people's government.
Becoming Problems
The past congress was an important moment in the process of uniting the bourgeoisie (mainly Moscow) and individual representatives of the intelligentsia. But the plans of the Progressive leadership to turn their structure into an all-Russian life were not realized.
The leaders of the progressive party failed to lure representatives of the right flank of the Cadets to their side. The latter saw that the structure created by the progressives was rather weak, and preferred to remain in their positions. At that time, the cadets had considerable authority and were popular in the general society.
Also, the Progressive Party was unable to lure representatives of the Octobrists into its ranks. Despite the fact that they had a split in 1913, they remained loyal to their leader A. I. Guchkov. The only success can be considered the creation in large cities of the so-called structures of progressive voters, whichmaintained ties with their Duma faction.
Moreover, the biggest failure of the Progressive Party was their inability to unite left-wing industrialists under their political wing. The main part of the Russian bourgeoisie was distrustful of political public organizations, preferring to live in the conditions of their own corporate structures, familiar to them.
Central Committee
The structure of the central committee of the Progressive Party was represented by 39 members. The number included: 29 hereditary nobles, 9 honorary citizens, the relation of one member of the central committee to any class is unknown. Nine members of the Central Committee from among the nobles belonged to the highest nobility and had high noble titles. Moreover, four were court officials. Eight nobles were state advisers - secret, real, state. Fourteen nobles are large landowners. The twelve members of the party's central committee had close ties in commercial, industrial and financial circles. From the above, it follows that the main guiding elements in the leadership were large landlords and capitalists.
Progressives and World War I
The most active activity of the progressive party is associated with the years of the First World War. Significant for them was the meeting of the IV Duma in July 1914. At it, they declared their unconditional support for the tsarist government, urging them to wage war until complete victory. Actively supported military loans, took an active partin special meetings created by the government of tsarist Russia in 1915 on the lines of defense, fuel, transportation and food.
Progressive bloc in the IV Duma
The Progressive Party took the most active part in the creation of the so-called Progressive Bloc in the Fourth Duma. It was formed in August 1915. It consisted mainly of representatives of liberals, as well as moderate right-wing Duma forces. The bloc included members from the Progressives, Octobrists, Kadets and Russian Nationalists parties.
Enlisting, thanks to its active behavior, the broad support of various organizations, the faction of the Progressive Party in the Duma began to defend its positions more resolutely. So, at a meeting of the progressive bloc in August 1915, one of its leaders, I. M. Efremov, the head of the Duma faction, announced that in the event of the dissolution of the Duma (which occurred in early September of that year), the parties included in the bloc should agree about methods of dealing with the government of the Russian Empire.
Progressive block program
The bloc's program adopted at the suggestion of the Progressives proposed:
- achieve amnesty for prisoners prosecuted for political and religious views;
- implement a more complete equalization of the rights of peasants, as well as national minorities;
- grant full autonomy to Poland;
- exclude repressive actions against the press organs of "Little Russia";
- restore trade union activities;
- significantly increase rightslocal government.
Subsequently, given the aggravation of the political situation in 1916 and early 1917, the Progressives began to more resolutely defend their ideas in the political life of Russia.
Liquidation of the Progressive Party
The February Revolution of 1917 removed the existing differences between the liberal parties by that time. They turned out to be irrelevant. At this time, the Cadets became the main driving force of the party force in Russia. All other liberal forces began to consolidate around them. A significant part of the Progressives went over to this party. Among them was the former leader - Alexander Ivanovich Konovalov. In the Provisional Government created in March 1917, he took the post of Minister of Trade and Industry.
Some members of the party made attempts to keep it as an independent structure. For these purposes, in the period from March to April 1917, they renamed it radical-democratic, declaring the creation of a federal democratic republic with a presidential form of government as a program goal. I. N. Efremov and Professor D. P. Ruzsky became its leaders.
The date of the dissolution of the Progressive Party is considered to be March 1917.
