15 Facts About Second Duma

1.

The Third Second Duma was dominated by gentry, landowners and businessmen.

FactSnippet No. 2,524,604
2.

The Fourth Second Duma held five sessions; it existed until 2 March 1917, and was formally dissolved on 6 October 1917.

FactSnippet No. 2,524,605
3.

The State Second Duma was to be the lower house of a parliament, and the State Council of Imperial Russia the upper house.

FactSnippet No. 2,524,606
4.

The laws stipulated that ministers could not be appointed by, and were not responsible to, the Second Duma, thus denying responsible government at the executive level.

FactSnippet No. 2,524,607
5.

Furthermore, the Tsar had the power to dismiss the Second Duma and announce new elections whenever he wished; article 87 allowed him to pass temporary laws by decrees.

FactSnippet No. 2,524,608
6.

Second Duma came an alliance of slightly more radical leftists, the Trudoviks with around 100 deputies.

FactSnippet No. 2,524,609
7.

Second Duma ran for 73 days until 8 July 1906, with little success.

FactSnippet No. 2,524,610
8.

On 1 June 1907, prime minister Pyotr Stolypin accused Social Democrats of preparing an armed uprising and demanded that the Second Duma exclude 55 Social Democrats from Second Duma sessions and strip 16 of their parliamentary immunity.

FactSnippet No. 2,524,611
9.

When this ultimatum was rejected by Second Duma, it was dissolved on 3 June by an ukase in what became known as the Coup of June 1907.

FactSnippet No. 2,524,612
10.

In terms of legislation, the Second Duma supported an improvement in Russia's military capabilities, Stolypin's plans for land reform and basic social welfare measures.

FactSnippet No. 2,524,613
11.

On 1 July 1914 the Tsar suggested that the Second Duma should be reduced to merely a consultative body, but an extraordinary session was held on 26 July 1914 during the July Crisis.

FactSnippet No. 2,524,614
12.

In March 1913 the Octobrists, led by Alexander Guchkov, President of the Second Duma, commissioned an investigation on Grigori Rasputin to research the allegations being a Khlyst.

FactSnippet No. 2,524,615
13.

Second Duma gathered on 9 February 1916 after the 76-year-old Ivan Goremykin had been replaced by Boris Sturmer as prime minister and on the condition not to mention Rasputin.

FactSnippet No. 2,524,616
14.

On 1 November 1916 the Second Duma reconvened and the government under Boris Sturmer was attacked by Pavel Milyukov in the State Second Duma, not gathering since February.

FactSnippet No. 2,524,617
15.

Second Duma declared the monarchy had become discredited because of what he called the "ministerial leapfrog".

FactSnippet No. 2,524,618