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Nicholas II Manifesto on establishment of the State Duma in Russia (Bulygin Duma)
6 (19) August 1905 Emperor Nicholas II signed the manifesto for the establishment of Russian State Duma - the supreme representative law advisory body of the Russian Empire. The same day was issued "Regulations on the State Duma elections".
The beginning of project development was an address of January 31 (February 13) 1905 by Minister of Agriculture and State Property, A. S. Ermolov to Emperor Nicholas II with a proposal to establish an elected Zemstvo Duma for preliminary consideration of major bills. In February the Council of Ministers met twice regarding this issue, but the decision had not been made. Soon, the Minister of Internal Affairs A. G. Bulygin was given a rescript, charging him the chairmanship of the Special Meeting to draft provisions on the State Duma. On behalf of its creator, this project was called Bulygin Duma.
Developed by the Ministry of Interior project was discussed at meetings with the Emperor at New Peterhof with attendance of the grand dukes, members of the Council of State and Ministers.
Duma was to be convened no later than mid-January 1906. According to the project, it was granted the right to discuss all the bills, budget, report of state control and draw conclusions on them which then were submitted to the State Council, where from the bills with the conclusions of the Duma and the Council were submitted to the emperor for consideration. Duma was to be elected for 5 years. Most people did not have voting rights, including those under 25 years old, workers, women, students, military personnel, foreign nationals, as well as governors, vice governors, mayors and their aides and police officers within the areas under their jurisdiction. Elections were held in provinces and regions, and also separately in the capitals and 23 largest cities. Farmers were supposed to have four-stage elections, and landlords and bourgeoisie - two-stage elections; 42% of the electors were to be elected by congresses of representatives of the counties, 34% - by congresses of district landowners, and 24% - by congresses of urban voters.
Members of the State Duma were to be elected by the provincial election meetings of landowners and representatives of townships, under the chairmanship of the provincial marshal of nobility or urban voters meeting chaired by the mayor.
Members of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) called on the workers and peasants to actively boycott Bulygin Duma and used their propaganda campaign to prepare for an armed uprising. Convening Bulygin Duma was disrupted as a result of the revolutionary events of October 1905, forcing the Russian Emperor to issue a Manifesto "On improvement of public order" on the establishment of the State Duma with legislative powers.
Lit.: Аврех А. Я. Булыгинская дума // Большая советская энциклопедия. Т. 4. М., 1971; Ганелин Р. Ш. Российское самодержавие в 1905 году: Реформы и революция. Спб., 1991; Государственная дума в России. Сб. документов и материалов М., 1957; Ленин В. И. Бойкот булыгинской Думы и восстание // В. И. Ленин. Полное собрание сочинений. Т. 11; Осипов С. В. Булыгинская дума: Борьба вокруг создания народного представительного учреждения : дис. ... к. и. н. М., 1997; Осипов С. В. Первые шаги российского парламентаризма: борьба за народное представительство в 1904-05 гг. Ульяновск, 2006; Петергофские совещания о проекте Государственной думы: Какую Думу хотели дать народу Николай II и его министры. Пг., 1917.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
State Duma in the history of Russian statehood: [digital collection]