The Constitutional Democratic Party, also called the Party of People's Freedom, represented the left flank of Russian political liberalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
History
The creation of the party was the result of the merger in 1905 of two illegal organizations - the Union of Zemstvo Constitutionalists and the Union of Liberation. The Cadet party consisted of aristocrats, noblemen with progressive views, and simply the most highly educated and intelligent people of their time. The party leaders included Prince Shakhovskoy and the Dolgorukov brothers-princes, representatives of the royal dynasty by genealogy and one of the largest landowners in Russia. The history of the creation of the party is inextricably linked with the name of its leader P. N. Milyukov - a prominent public figure who later became Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Provisional Government of Kerensky.
The process of uniting erudite liberal Zemstvo landlords and passionary leaders of the left-wing intelligentsia was extremely difficult. The figure of Miliukov, who passed through political emigration, was almost the only one who suited the representatives of both unions. According to eyewitnesses, Miliukov possessed a unique gift of persuasion and was able to unmistakably find a compromise in disputes. The highest party organ of the party was the Central Committee, whose members were elected at congresses. The Central Committee consisted of Moscow and St. Petersburg departments. At the same time, the St. Petersburg branch was responsible for the development of the party program and bills. The Moscow department was in charge of publishing and organizing campaign work.
Program
The main idea of the cadet program was the introduction and development in Russia of liberal values and solutions implemented in the European democratic model of the state. The cadets proposed the introduction of an 8-hour working day, freedom of speech, assembly, press and religion, universal compulsory and free primary education, personal and home inviolability. The party advocated the independence of the court and an increase in the area of land allotments for the peasants, but at the same time defended the principles of a social structure based on a constitutional monarchy. That is, in fact, the program of the Cadet Party was the quintessence of the liberal ideas that existed at that time in the Russian Empire.
In 1917, after the February Revolution, the Cadets became one of the ruling parties. Party members entered the cabinet of ministers. In the same years, there was a change in the political course. The tsar's abdication forced the Cadets to join the supporters of a parliamentary republic. But their positions in the workers 'and peasants' environment were weak, and their ideas were almost unknown to ordinary people. This was one of the reasons for the overthrow of the Provisional Government.
The conflict of political ideas within the party and the unsuccessful opposition to the Bolsheviks inexorably led the Cadets to a split, which happened in 1921 at the congress in exile in Paris. The party split into two currents, one of which was headed by Milyukov, the other by Hesse and Kaminka. At this stage, the history of the party of constitutional democrats of Russia ended.
