Political Associations of the Russian Population of Kyiv in the Conditions of the Revolution of 1905–1907: Party of Legal Order

Abstract

The article is devoted to the appearance of political organizations of the Russian population of Kyiv in the conditions of the revolution of 1905–1907. The focus is on the history of the Legal Order Party, which was the first political party of the modern type, uniting representatives of the right-wing Russian public in Kyiv. The source base for this study was documents stored in the funds of the State Archives of the Russian Federation (SARF, Moscow) and the Russian State Historical Archives (RGIA, St. Petersburg). In addition, the materials of the regional periodical press were used – the newspapers “Pravo i poryadok” and “Kievlyanin” published in Kyiv. The methodological basis of the study is the theoretical developments of specialists in the field of studying the phenomenon of political parties. Using these conceptual constructions, the author comes to the conclusion that the formation of party structures in the Western Territory took place in a complex multinational composition of the population, consisting of adherents of various religious systems. As historical sources testify, the period of the First Russian Revolution was marked in the southwestern provinces of the Russian Empire by a sharp aggravation of socio-political tension. Under these conditions, there was a consolidation of representatives of the right-wing Russian public – landowners, officials, entrepreneurs. It is proved that Russian nationalism, understood primarily as measures aimed at strengthening the unity and territorial integrity of the Russian state, became the ideological basis of the emerging political groupings that united these population groups. The key ideological and organizational center of Russian nationalism gradually became Kyiv – a university city where a fairly large intelligentsia lived. However, the author comes to the conclusion that the Party of Legal Order gradually turned into a marginal structure. In fact, it was replaced by a new political project – the All-Russian National Union, which was the most solid support for the government of P.A. Stolypin. © 2023 International Network Center for Fundamental and Applied Research. All rights reserved.