Russian Political Class at the Beginning of the 20th Century: Mechanisms of Integration

The article is devoted to the recruitment of local elites into the all-Russian political class during election campaigns to the State Duma. The author notes that the political sympathies of the electors had a strong regional specificity rooting in various local interests and lobbying groups. At the same time, they also formed a workable core of the Duma, which entered into direct dialogue with the government. Like high-ranking officials they became an integral part of Russia’s emerging political class. The author emphasizes the social closeness of these two groups. They were united by common life experience and a similar horizon of expectations. In one way or another, they tried to solve all-Russian problems and represent the interests of not only their immediate voter. Besides two projects were simultaneously implemented in each of the factions: a party one, which suggested the idea of national representation, and a corporate one, which implied the need to speak on behalf of direct voters, one's class, professional association, province, denomination, etc. The deputies mastered both of these languages, which was valuable for the government. They were not only legislators, but also lobbyists for prosperous segments of the population. In many ways, this determined the direction of the evolution of the political system of the Russian Empire on the eve of World War I. Gradually, horizontal network connections were formed, which included not only members of the Duma or government administration, but also representatives of various interest groups, equipping the latter with tools to effectively advocate for their rights.