growth of liberal oppositions

union of liberation (peter Struve)

• founded 1904

• working to replace absolutism with a constitutional monarchy

• dominated by middle-class, professional people

• three point strategy:

• 1) persuade zemstvo to ask throne to grant a constitution

• 2) would stage a series of banquets but actually to push for liberal political ideals

• 3) would support the formation of union and their amalgamation into a “union of unions”

• the leadership of the liberal movement passed to the constitutional democratic (kadet) party

union of unions

• proposed unionn of opposition was formed by pavel milyukoc (kadet)

• alliance made up of several groups e.g kadets and writers, thinkers, teachers

octobrists

• centrist party in the duma

• alexander guchkov- believed in a constitutional monarchy

• octobrists supported by most of stolypins reforms

• left-wingers were suppressed formed the main faction in the third duma and most between then and 1917

• party mostly ceased to exist after february revolution

kadets

• constitutional democratic party or kadets were a moderate liberal party

• tended to ally with socialists

• in a socially progressive manifesto for Russia, which would not necessarily include the tsar keeping power

• largest factions in the first and second Dumas- restricted in numbers over time

• attempted to push through reforms - vetoed by nicholas

• 1917: kadets were only functioning non-socialist party

• mostly ceased to have any real power

bolsheviks (SDs)

• hard-line wing of the social democratic party

• disliked the ideas of working together with other parties

• 1903: mensheviks and were led by vladmir Lenin

• lenins personal charisma and ruthless bolshevik leadership managed to turn situation to their advantage and gain military power

• gaining members such as kollontai and trotsky

• took control of government

mensheviks ( SDs)

• grdual transition towards a social state

• morepositive about democracy

• led by julius martov

• mesheviks were split between the red and white factions in the civil war

• trotsky re-organised the red army and was instrumental in winning the civil war for red faction

• 1921: party became illegal after the kronstadt uprising

socialist revolutionaries

• 1900-1917: main socialist faction in Russia

• radical stance

• popular with peasantry

• violent at times- killing 500 people in a year

• won elections of 1917 with huge peasant support

• bolsheviks, who had taken power from transitional government a few days ealier, shut the SRs out and dissolved the assembly

• SRs included kerensky and chernov

tsarists

• supporters of the tsars regime

• old landed aristocract and some senior militart figures

• peter stolypin

• rasputin

• tsar nicholas

growth of liberal opposition

• 1895: tver zemstvo petitioned nicholas II to set up advisory body- called it a “senseless dreams”

• prince Lvov: demanded creation of national assembly

• 1899: radical liberals established beseda symposium to discuss matters of liberal interest

union of liberation banquets

1903: union of liberation founded

• wanted constitutional system

• 1904: held grand meeting, member declared intention to work for constitutional government and arranged series of 50 society banquets during winter of 1904

• liberals had limited political influence before 1905