In October 1905, the Russian Empire proclaimed a new state order as a manifesto. It was announced that the State Duma would be convened, for seats in which the created parties could fight. Until that moment, they were illegal in Russia. Among the party structures that formed after this historical document were progressives.
At the source
The progressive party dates back to 1908. At this time, opportunities arose to unite the political views of the Moscow bourgeoisie and the intellectual cadets. They actively sought the opportunity to create their own party for the subsequent establishment of relations with the Moscow bourgeois.
Up to this point, in the period from 1905 to 1907, the future progressists could not create their own organization. The bearers of their ideas belonged to various liberal structures or were non-partisan in the State Duma of the 1st and 2nd convocation.
The progressive party, or progressive party, was created in 1912. At this time, young representatives of the merchants of Moscow with the active participation of the rich 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 agitation was attempts to attract the big bourgeoisie to create a new liberal movement for the implementation of broad political and economic programs. Another feature of the political agitation of future progressives was the intention to establish ties with the Russian village and the leaders of the Old Believers.
Congress and adoption of the program
The first congress of the progressive party was held from November 11 to 13, 1912 in the city of St. Petersburg. At this constituent assembly, they elected leadership, adopted a program (Duma program), and outlined tactics for work.
The provisions of the program document included the following main points:
- the elimination of administrative arbitrariness, as well as the deliverance of Russia from enhanced and emergency protection;
- the termination of the election law of June 3, 1907 (the democrats of that time called it the “Third Coup”, according to which the electoral rights of the population turned out to be seriously curtailed);
- the creation of a people's government with the expansion of its rights;
- reforming the State Council of the Russian Empire;
- ensuring freedom of speech, press, unions and meetings;
- creation in Russia of real inviolability of the person and freedom of conscience;
- ensuring the self-determination of the peoples that were part of the Russian Empire;
- liquidation of privileges of estates and estate restrictions;
- implementation of reforms of zemstvo and city administration.
In the final moments of the program of the progressive party of 1912, it was supposed to establish a constitutional monarchical system in Russia, in which the ministers were responsible to the created government.
Problems of becoming
The past congress was an important moment in the process of unification of the bourgeoisie (mainly Moscow) and individual representatives of the intelligentsia. But the intentions of the progressive leadership to transform their structure into all-Russian life were not realized.
The leaders of the progressive party did not succeed in luring to their side the representatives of the right flank of the Cadets. 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 among the general public.
Also, the progressive party was not able to lure the representatives of the Octobrists into its ranks. Despite the fact that they had a split in 1913, they remained faithful 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, who maintained ties with their Duma faction.
Moreover, the most important failure of the progressive party was their inability to unite industrialists supporting leftist views under their own political wing. The bulk of the Russian bourgeoisie lacked confidence in political public organizations, preferring to live in their usual corporate structures.
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 attitude 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. And four were court officials. Eight nobles were state advisers - secret, real, state. Fourteen noblemen are large landowners. The twelve members of the central committee of the party had close ties in the commercial, industrial and financial circles. From the above it follows that in the leadership the main governing elements were large landowners and capitalists.
Progressives and the First World War
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 Fourth 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 part in special meetings created by the government of tsarist Russia in 1915 in the areas of defense, fuel, transportation and food.
Progressive Block in the IV Duma
The Party of Progressives took the most active part in creating the so-called progressive bloc in the Fourth Duma . It was formed in August 1915. It consisted mainly of representatives of the liberals, as well as moderately right-wing Duma forces. The bloc included members from the parties of the progressives, Octobrists, Cadets and Russian nationalists.
Having enlisted, thanks to her active behavior and broad support of various organizations, the faction of the progressive party in the Duma began to more decisively defend its position. 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 case of the dissolution of the Duma (which took place in early September of that year), the parties included in the bloc should agree on methods of dealing with the government of the Russian Empire.
Progressive block program
The block program, adopted from the progressives, suggested:
- achieve amnesty for prisoners held accountable for political and religious views;
- implement a more complete equation of the peasants in the rights, as well as national minorities;
- provide full autonomy to Poland;
- to exclude repressive actions against the print media of Little Russia;
- to restore the activity of trade unions;
- significantly increase the rights of local self-government.
Subsequently, given the aggravation of the political situation in 1916 and early 1917, the progressives began to more decisively defend their ideas in the political life of Russia.
Liquidation of the Progressive Party
The February Revolution of 1917 removed the differences at the time between the liberal parties. They turned out to be irrelevant. At that time, the cadets became the main driving party force in Russia. Around them, all other liberal forces began to consolidate. A significant part of the progressives joined this party. Among them was the former leader - Alexander Ivanovich Konovalov. In the created Provisional Government in March 1917 he took the post of Minister of Trade and Industry.
Some members of the party made attempts to maintain it as an independent structure. To this end, 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 their program goals. Its leaders were I. N. Efremov and Professor D. P. Ruzsky.
March 1917 is considered the date of the dissolution of the progressive party.