LIBERALISM AND GOVERMENTAL REGULATION IN ECONOMIC VIEWS OF SIBERIAN CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRATS IN REVOLUTION AND CIVIL WAR TIME

The events of the revolution and the Civil War caused the opinion evolution on the issues of economy of the Constitutional Democrats majority, in particular - the constitutional democrats in Siberia. Traditionally, the party recognized the need of the moderate government regulation in the manner of neoliberalism ideas. But in the environment of the revolution the first unsuccessful attempts of the Provisional Government on the introduction of monopolies, fixed prices and other restriction of the economic freedom caused the criticism from the Constitutional Democrats. This criticism strengthened during the time of the Provisional Siberian government in 1918, which continued this policy during the Civil War. Constitutional Democrats press of Siberia advocated the abolishing of the private initiative and free trade limitation, denoting that such actions cause only the commodity deficit and the development of speculation. The attitude of the constitutional democrats caught with the A.V. Kolchak government and the State Economic Conference, in which the Party of People's Will had great influence. The number of state monopolies was reduced, the fixed rates and prices were abolished, in the announcements of the government the liberal course on the freedom of the market was stressed. These actions were supported by the Siberian bourgeoisie that led to their closing in with the Constitutional Democrats. In contrast to the right-wing socialistic parties the Constitutional Democrats did not consider the cooperation, but the bourgeoisie as the basis for economic rebirth. They advocated the abolishing of the penal measures against the speculation, which did not reach the main aim, and urged not to mix it with corruption. The Constitutional Democrats considered the reconstruction of the destroyed industry and the guarantee of the inflow of the commodities from abroad as the only effective measure of struggle against the speculation and commodity deficit. These views were reflected in the statements of the representatives of the party left wing, who prevailed in the Eastern division of its central committee. Under their influence the State Economic Conference in the program, which was adopted in June 1919, declared the priority of the private economy, freedom of trade, flexible custom policy, based on the taking into the consideration commodity market and engaging of foreign investments. At the same time the Constitutional Democrats and Kolchak Government did not deny social responsibility of the state and the regulation of relation between the labour and capital.Thus, the strengthening of the classical liberalism tendency in the economic program of the Siberian Constitutional Democrats in the period under review is presented. This can be explained by the unsuccessful experience of the state regulations emergency measures under A.F. Kerensriy government and Soviet power, the rapprochement of the Constitutional Democrats with bourgeoisie in the situation of socio-political polarization and Civil War, fusion of the Constitutional Democrats with the representatives of Oktiabrist party which fell into pieces at the times of revolution and represented classical right-wing liberal ideology. It permitted to the Constitutional democrats to be the consolidation center of bourgeoisie and the main political support of White movement during the reviewed period.

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