Transformation of approaches to solving the agrarian question in the programs of right-wing and liberal parties in the period 1905-1913

Abstract

This study is devoted to the topic of the transformation of approaches to solving the agrarian issue in the programs of right-wing and liberal parties in the Russian Empire in the period 1905-1913. The source base of the work was formed by attracting materials from the funds of the parties of cadets, octobrists and the All-Russian "Dubrovin" Union of the Russian people, stored in the funds of the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF). When writing the study, pre-revolutionary literature on the stated topic was widely involved. The methodology of the work is based on the principles of historicism and consistency, a combination of general scientific and special methods. Analysis and synthesis were used as general scientific methods. A special historical narrative method was used to identify and represent causal relationships in the process of transforming approaches to the interpretation and articulation of provisions related to the solution of the agrarian question. The method of comparative analysis was used to study the similarities and differences in the formation and evolution of the approaches of right-wing and liberal parties. The author comes to the conclusion that the logic of the development of the agrarian programs of the liberal and right-wing parties was largely reactive. Right-wing and liberal parties responded to inquiries from below, acting as a feedback mechanism for their electorate. However, they also experienced pressure from various interest groups of the Russian elite, primarily the government and the monarch. As a result, the transformation of agrarian programs was often determined by the short-term dynamics of the political and socio-economic environment. The development of a proactive position on the agrarian issue of the right-wing and liberal parties was hampered not only by strong ties with interest groups, the multifactorial nature and complexity of demographic, social, technological challenges to agriculture, but also by the strategy of embedding parties in the political structure of the Russian monarchy. © 2021 International Network Center for Fundamental and Applied Research. All rights reserved.