“We are not creating turmoil, but are looking for a happy way out of the difficult state of our Fatherland”: Zemstvo liberalism at the beginning of the 20th century (using the example of the Saratov Zemstvo)

The publication is devoted to the features of zemstvo liberalism in the provinces at the beginning of the 20th century, when the Saratov Zemstvo with its liberal program was at the head of the Russian zemstvo liberal movement. The article examines the discussions that arose around the discussion of the decisions of the St. Petersburg November Zemstvo Congress of 1904 and the features of the program for the political transformation of Russia, the key link of which was the creation of a bicameral parliament with legislative functions and a new electoral system based on universal, direct, equal, secret voting. The characteristic features of the strategy and tactics of the zemstvo opposition in 1904–1906 are analyzed. Contradictions within the liberal camp are revealed. The reasons for the change of leaders in the Saratov Zemstvo and the transfer of power to the right-wing liberals are considered.

zemstvo, Saratov zemstvo liberals, political program, autocracy, government, bureaucracy, revolution of 1905, constitutional monarchy, universal suffrage, parliament, rule of law