Description
Book SynopsisIn A Reluctant Parliament, noted historian Alexandra S. Korros deftly explores the organization and operation of the Russian Empire''s State Council in the wake of the 1905 revolution. Korros dismisses the traditional interpretation that the State Council was a monolithic opponent to reform and focuses on the complex political maneuvering between those of its members anxious to make the legislative chambers work, and those determined to turn Russia away from the path of constitutional monarchy. Based on extensive research on primary sources-many of which have not been previously examinedA Reluctant Parliament is an important new addition to the field of Russian History.
Trade ReviewWhile right-wing politics is not exactly a riveting subject, Korros makes the best of it and successfully recaptures this period from the historical determinists. * The Russian Review *
Korros's book is a useful starting point for further work on the State Council: her pioneering work in the archives relating to the council's political groups should act as a stimulus for scholars to expand on the glimpse that we have been given of the complexity of the Russian legislature after 1905. * American Historical Review *
A Reluctant Parliament is the first work to examine the politics of this critical period in Russian history from the perspective of the empire's upper legislative chamber. Based on an impressive array of archival and published sources, Alexandra Korros lays before us the rich politics of a body generally ignored by historians or overshadowed by the more contentious Duma. -- David Darrow, University of Dayton
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 Reforming Russia: The Crown Councils at Peterhof and Tsarskoe Selo Chapter 4 Forming Factions in the State Council: The First Session Chapter 5 The Center as Political Party Chapter 6 Local Government, Naval Apprpriations, Stolypin, the Duma, and State Council Chapter 7 Nationalist Politics in State Council Chapter 8 The Formula Fails: The Western Zemstvo Act Chapter 9 The State Council Becomes What It Was Supposed to Be
