OCTOBER MANIFESTO

30 OCTOBER 1905
YESTERDAY




OCTOBER MANIFESTO
30 October 1905: Promised reforms.
Civil liberties.
Freedom of speech.
Freedom of assembly.
No laws can be issued without the agreement of
the Duma.
However, the October Manifesto did not include
any reference to the point that the Duma could
not initiate legislation.
Nicholas II diary entry (19 Oct 1905)
Through all these horrible days, I constantly met
Witte. We very often met in the early morning to
part only in the evening when night fell. There
were only two ways open; to find an energetic
soldier and crush the rebellion by sheer force.
That would mean rivers of blood, and in the end
we would be where had started. The other way
out would be to give to the people their civil
rights, freedom of speech and press, also to have
laws conformed by a State Duma - that of course
would be a constitution. Witte defends this very
energetically.
Diary entry contd.
Almost everybody I had an opportunity of
consulting, is of the same opinion. Witte put it
quite clearly to me that he would accept the
Presidency of the Council of Ministers only on the
condition that his programme was agreed to, and
his actions not interfered with. We discussed it for
two days and in the end, invoking God's help I
signed. This terrible decision which nevertheless I
took quite consciously. I had no one to rely on
except honest Trepov. There was no other way out
but to cross oneself and give what everyone was
asking for.
NATIONAL PARLIAMENT
Upper house: Council of the state
- Partly elected and partly nominated by the
Tsar (Tsarist sympathisers).
Lower house: Duma
- Elected.
ELECTORATE
It was universal: BUT voting was indirect.
Voters selected an electoral group: which then
selected the members.
The peasants, the townsmen and the gentry
all elected their own representatives.
Delegates from all the provinces met in the
provincial town and chose the members of the
Duma.
COUNCIL OF STATE
The upper house of the parliament.
Council of State (upper house) consisted of
clergy, nobility
Had equal legislative rights as the Duma.
They could submit a rival budget, so that the
Tsar can choose their decision over the
Dumas'.



BEHIND THE SCENE
But even before the First Duma had met,
Witte was able to reduce its powers.
He secured a large French loan, which made
the government financially independent of
the Duma
And issued a set of fundamental laws, which
the Duma was not to alter.

FUNDAMENTAL LAWS (6 May 1906)
The Tsar retained complete control of
- the executive branch (Upper house),
- foreign policy,
- the army,
- Navy, and
- All other autocratic prerogatives (exclusive privileges
or rights), including power of veto over legislation.
- Duma received important legislative and budgetary
rights and functions, but these were largely
circumscribed by the conservative State Council.


FUNDAMENTAL LAWS
The tsar could dissolve the Duma at his will.

DUMA 1 (10 May 1906)
Although Social Democrats and SRs boycotted
the elections, some of their members were
elected.
Duma of Popular Indignation.
Trudoviks (radicals who supported workers
and peasants), Kadets and Progressivists
(middle class businessmen).


REFORMS PROPOSED IN DUMA 1
Release political prisoners.
Rights for Trade unions.
Land reform.
Right to dismiss ministers appointed by the
Tsar in favor of ministers acceptable to the
Duma.
Tsar rejected ALL these proposals.
Duma dissolved in 21 July 1906. (72 days)
DUMA 2
Elections held in 1907.
Vyborg Manifesto.
- Duma deputies asked Russian people to resist the
actions of the Tsar by refusing to pay the taxes.
Deputies who made the manifesto: banned from
standing for the next Duma.
But still there were still reformers (SRs, Bolsheviks and
Mensheviks) in the Duma when they met in Feb 1907.
Passed important land reforms proposed by Stolypin.
16 June 1907 (3 months): Duma dissolved.
LIMITED ELECTORATE
The Tsar's chief minister, Peter Stolypin, used
his powers to exclude large numbers from
voting.

How did Stolypin reduce the
electorate?
Excluded national minorities.
Poland, Siberia, the Caucasus and in Central Asia.
Better representation to the nobility.
Only the richest 30% of males can vote.
Landowners given greater power (a loss for the
peasants).
Those owning their own homes elected over half
the urban deputies.
Peter Stolypin
DUMA 3 (1907-1912)
14 Nov 1907.
The former coalition of Socialist-Revolutionaries,
Mensheviks, Bolsheviks, Octobrists and
Constitutional Democrat Party, were now
outnumbered by the reactionaries and the
nationalists.
Duma of Lords and Lackeys.
Continued to practice Russification.
Unlike the previous Dumas, Duma 3 ran for a full
term of 5 years.
DUMA 4 (1912-1917)
After the First World War broke out, the Duma
supported Tsars decision.
Bolshevik deputies voted against joining the
war-they were arrested, property confiscated
and sent to Siberia.
SO WHAT DID THE DUMAS DO?
First time that Russia had a national assembly.
Improved the conditions of the workers/peasants.
Strengthened national defense as well.
Land captains were replaced by justices of the
peace.
Govt. introduced a plan to have universal primary
education within 10 years.
Health and accident insurance programmes
introduced for industrial workers.
Political parties legal

http://warchron.com/FirstDuma-
BloodySunday.htm
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSdu
ma.htm
http://bigsiteofhistory.com/the-dumas-1906-
1914-the-modernization-of-nations