The parliamentary tactics of the Cadets in the III State Duma: political experience of Siberian deputies

The analysis of the Cadets' tactics in the III State Duma is thought to contribute to the comprehensive understanding of parliamentary practices of the Russian liberals, and to the assessment of their potential in public policy. The use of such sources as documents of conferences and meetings of the People's Freedom Party, reports by the Cadet faction, speeches by Siberian deputies at the Duma podium, as well as central and local liberal press materials - all these allowed to reveal logical links between the tactical objectives of the Cadets, their parliamentary activities and the results achieved. Guided by the 'realpolitik' philosophy, Siberian deputies, who had become members of the Cadet faction, opted for the 'organic work' in the III Duma. Practical steps in this direction were above all related to the active participation of the Siberians in the activities of various Duma committees. The study of materials that characterize parliamentary practices of the Siberian Cadets reveals the compliance of their tactics with the key principles of liberal ideology: progressiveness and continuity in social development, preference for reformist change, civil liberties and rights as a basis for social order, formation of civil society based on the development of social initiative and activity. Having such values as a basis, not only did the tactics of the 'organic work' include a critical stance towards the authorities but, naturally, it also involved a critical attitude to them in cases when the government policy collided with the liberal vision and understanding of problems and prospects of social development. Definitely rejecting the possibility of compromises in matters related to ensuring civil rights of the population, the Siberian Cadets were convinced of these being needed for the solution of regional problems. However, the Siberian parliamentary group's activity built fully along these tactical lines demonstrated their failure to have constructive cooperation with the authorities in the field of lawmaking. The underestimation of the conservatism of the absolutist regime and its inertia may be seen as one of the tactical mistakes made by the Cadets. At the same time, the inefficiency of the Cadets' parliamentary activity was due not so much and only to their tactical mistakes as to the inconsistency of the very liberal projects of social transformation and, thus, the tactics of their implementation with both the intentions of the regime and social expectations of the majority of the population. The important result of the Cadets' activity in the III Duma was the realization of the impossibility to fulfill liberal plans for legislative reforms within the Third of June system, and naturally the question arose as to the need to correct this tactics.

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