Election campaigns of the constitutional democrats and their recipient (1906–1912)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the tactics of the election campaigns of the Constitutional Democratic Party in 1906–1912 in order to identify what social group was the recipient of those campaigns. According to the paper, the Cadets saw townspeople as the main election resource of the party. They were not very numerous in Russian Empire but it was enough for the elections to the First and the Second Dumas (though the Cadets’ victory was not absolute). But after the laws of June, 3rd, 1907, the situation changed drastically. The Zemstvo’s workers dominated in the Third Duma, and the cities representatives had to accept it. To understand the election system in Russia in the early 20th century, it is important to know that it was fundamentally different from the one that took place inWestern Europe. Indirect election had its own logic but the Cadets disregarded that fact. The author states that because of that they were condemned to fail and to give way to the Octobrists. Because of the Cadets’ focus on urban voters, the space for their opportunities was rather narrow.