The establishment of the State Duma was a necessary measure. A representative body was formed in accordance with the Manifesto and the Electoral Regulation. These legislative acts were issued in 1906, on August 6th.
The First State Duma is a direct consequence of the Revolution of 1905-1907. Under pressure from the liberal part of the government (mainly represented by Witte (the Prime Minister)), Nicholas II, deciding not to aggravate the situation, made it clear to his subjects that he was ready to take into account the need for society to create a representative body. The Emperor directly expressed his intentions in the 1906 Manifesto. And the provisions of the Manifesto of 1905 significantly expanded the powers of the future representative body. In particular, according to paragraph three, the State Duma of the Russian Empire was transformed from a legislative to a legislative one. Thus, it was now considered as the lower house of parliament, from which bills passed into the upper house - the State Council.
Together with the Manifesto of October 17, 1905, which contained the autocrat’s promises to draw “as much as possible” to the legislative process, people who were deprived of their right to vote in the past, another Decree was approved on October 19. In accordance with its provisions, the Council of Ministers became the permanent highest government body. Its goal was to ensure the unification and direction of actions of the main departmental leaders on issues of higher government and the legislative process. Thus, it was established that the State Duma of the Russian Empire could consider bills that had only been discussed in the Council of Ministers.
Relative independence were given to: the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the court, naval and military ministers. However, they should have reported to the tsar on their work.
Twice or thrice a week, the convocation of the Council of Ministers was supposed. Witte was its chairman until April 1906, after which Goremykin was until July. Subsequently, the position of chairman was taken by Stolypin.
The first State Duma of the Russian Empire worked from April 27 to July 9, 1906. The opening took place in the Throne Hall of the St. Petersburg Winter Palace. Subsequently, the State Duma of the Russian Empire gathered in the Tauride Palace.
The election procedure was established by the Law on Elections, adopted in 1905, in December. Based on the provisions of the law, four curia were established: workers, peasants, urban and landowners.
Those workers who were employed in enterprises where the number of workers was not less than fifty were allowed to the working curia. In accordance with this provision, about two million men lost their suffrage . Women, military men, youth under twenty-five, and some national minorities did not have the right to vote . The elections themselves were multi-stage.
On average, the number of elected deputies in the Duma ranged in different periods from four hundred eighty to five hundred twenty-five people.
In 1906, on April 23, Nicholas II approved the Code of Main Laws. The Duma could make changes to it only at the initiative of the autocrat. On the basis of the Code, all laws that were adopted had to be approved by the king, and the executive branch, as before, was completely subordinate to him.
Despite the administrative reforms, the Emperor himself appointed the ministers, the armed forces were subordinate to him, he single-handedly controlled the state’s foreign policy, made peace, imposed a state of emergency, declared war. In addition, a paragraph was spelled out in the Code allowing the autocrat to issue new acts, laws or decrees only personally on his own between the Duma meetings.