October 2, 2025Open Access

Parliamentarism as an Integrating Principle of the Russian Statehood in the “Regional” Journalistics of the Beginning of the 20th Century

AGAlexander GolovinovAltai State University

Key Points

The concept of parliamentarism emerged as a vital factor for Russian statehood in the early 20th century.
Written narratives reflected increasing discourse on legislative and representative bodies, especially in Siberia.
Political textology and new political history methodologies were used to analyze these journalistic narratives.
The findings highlight the importance of regionalism and self-government for shaping Russia's political landscape.

Abstract

Aim . To identify and demonstrate the concept “parliamentarism” as an integrating factor of the Russian statehood, presented in the journalistic narratives created by the representatives of the Siberian democratic regionalism (regionalism) ideology at the beginning of the 20 th century. Methodology. With use of tools of political textology, the written narratives containing political discussions on the development of representative bodies in Siberia and the entire Asian part of Russia are analyzed. The methodology of the “new political history” also played an epistemological role for cognitive purposes, which make it possible to direct discursive analysis to social groups. Results. It was established that at the beginning of the 20 th century, the narrative about the prospects for the development of legislative and representative bodies in the peripheral and outlying territories of our Fatherland has become more active. It was revealed that the discourse had conceptual and systemic content. A clear holistic scheme was emerging by establishing and developing the zemstvo as a form of local self-government, legislatures at the regional level will be actively formed and effectively operate, which will make it possible to consider the true problems of territorial entities at the level of a single all-Russian parliament. Research implications. The results of the study can contribute to the development of the study of domestic political thought in pre-revolutionary Russia, in which the legacy of Siberian regionalists is still fragmentary. The paradigmatic concepts of the teachings of democratic regionalists, according to which parliamentarism, local self-government and federalism have an integrating principle of national statehood, they can be of importance for strengthening the foundations of the Russian state system.

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