CC BY
8UDC 94(47+57) '1905/1917'
Anton Vsevolodov
Candidate of Historical Sciences (PhD), Senior Researcher,
Cherepovets Museum Association Senior Lecturer, Cherepovets State University
(Cherepovets, Russia) Vsevolodov12@yandex.ru
Review of the collection: The 2016 Tauride Readings. Actual problems of parliamentarism: History and modernity. International academic conference, St Petersburg, Tauride Palace, 8-9h December 2016. Collection of scientific works; in A. B. Nikolaev (Ed.). St Petersburg: ElekSis, 2017, part 1. 338 p.; part 2. 313 p.; part 3. 98 p.
The modern Russian parliamentary system is often seen and presented by the parliamentarians themselves as the continuation of the experience of the early 20th century. One can argue whether such judgments are justified or, on the contrary, rather speculative; however it is obvious that the right to decide on this matter does not belong to the representatives of any specific field of knowledge - neither history nor political sciences or jurisprudence. This decision can only arise because of their mutually enriching collaboration.
The collection of the materials of the 2016 Tauride Readings that were held for the 10th time that year, demonstrates that the tradition of the multi-disciplinary approach to the study of the parliamentary system has not only been formed, but also dynamically develops, combining the efforts of scientists representing different generations and various countries. Among the authors of the collected volume of scientific articles are both well-known specialists and young researchers from St Petersburg, Moscow, Astrakhan, Yekaterinburg, Yelets, Kazan, Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Nizh-ny Novgorod, Orel, Perm, Ryazan, Tver, Chelyabinsk, Cherepovets and Yaroslavl. International scientists from Belarus, Poland, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and the United States of America also took part in the said conference.
The range of the topics covered in the articles is very impressive, starting from the reviews of archival collections and proceeding to theoretical reconstructions and detailed problem-solution analytical essays. However, specific historic and historical-legal research still prevails.
The world of the historian: "The 70th anniversary of Boris Petelin"
Surveys. Reviews '
The topics vary in such a way that the collection is published in three separate parts, or volumes, with the total number of almost six hundred and fifty pages. Probably, due to some technical issues, this division into three parts does not always correspond to thematic and chronological bibliography of the composition. The reports on the history of European parliamentary institutions and social ideas are somewhat artificially distributed between the second and the third parts; for that reason, most of these reports are separated from the main array of the texts.
The foreword written by A. B. Nikolayev, Professor of Herzen State Pedagogical
University of Russia (RSPU), who initiated the annual Tauride Readings that have
1 2 been held since 2007 , opens the collection of scientific works . In essence, it represents a synopsis, a brief chronicle on preparation and arrangement of the Tauride Readings. The public resonance of the conference itself as well as of the presented works is accentuated by the participation in the Readings of representatives of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS) and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, A. I. Sergeev and V. Yu. Zorin. The speech by A. O. Rodzyanko, the great-grandson of the last chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Empire, is, of course, a memorial narrative - a token of respect for the famous ancestor; however at the same time, it is a valuable illustration of the message regarding the succession of epochs.
The reports of the next group, at first glance, stand out due to their rather culturological orientation. The main object of study in them is the Tauride Palace, but not in its familiar role of the location for the first State Duma meetings, but rather a historical and cultural landmark and a place of memory. Yu. I. Kashaverskaia in her research traces the history of repair and restoration works in the palace, showing how it first became a parliamentary building followed by a museum. T. I. Nikolaeva focuses on the palace and garden complex laid out around the Tauride Palace as the memorial dedicated to the art of building in the second half of the 18th century. I. G. Lander refers to the history of celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Al-
1 Predislovie [The Foreword by A.B. Nikolayev]. Tavricheskie chteniia 2007: Aktual'nyeprob-lemy istorii parlamentarizma v Rossii v nachale XX veka. Nauchno-prakticheskii seminar, S.-Peterburg, Tavricheskii dvorets, 11 dekabria 2007. Sbornik nauchnykh statei; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [The 2007 Tauride Readings. Actual problems in the history of parliamentarism in Russia in the early 20th century. International Academic Conference, St Petersburg, The Tauride Palace, 11th December 2008. In A.B. Nikolaev (Ed.)]. St Petersburg, 2008, p. 4.
2 Predislovie [The Foreword by A.B. Nikolayev]. Tavricheskie chteniia 2016. Aktual'nye prob-lemy parlamentarizma: istoriia i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnyh statei; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [The 2016 Tauride Readings. Actual problems of parliamentarism: History and modernity. In A.B. Nikolaev (Ed.)]. St Petersburg, 2017, part 1, pp. 6-10.
exander Sergeevich Pushkin that took place in the palace. According to the author, it was the next step on the way of 'canonization' of the Russian classic by means of official aesthetics. The material of O. A. Patrikeeva is highly interesting in the context of the collection, as it describes how the convention of the State Duma in 1906 transformed the "depressed St Petersburg lonely spot" into "one of the most fashionable districts of the city" . The rapid development of the urban landscape and the concentration of the infrastructure around the Tauride Palace in due course led to the creation of a special communicative space, where, using the opportunities of informal communication, it was possible to solve the most uncomfortable issues, reconcile disputants and find a compromise that would seem unreal in the meeting room. The conversation between P. N. Milyukov, the leader of the Cadets, with the Commandant of the Imperial Palace, Dmitri Feodorovich Trepov, who retained influence with the Tzar Nicholas II, is the best example of how the State Duma policy easily transformed into non-institutional forms. The conversation took place on the eve of the First Duma being dissolved in the summer of 1906, in the restaurant called 'Kyuba' and among other things was devoted to the prospects of forming a government in Russia that subordinated directly to the parliament. As an element of the question regarding the responsible ministry, this conversation was studied out in the articles of S.V. Kulikov (Saint-Petersburg Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences - SPbIH RAS) and K.A. Soloviev (Institute for Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences - IRH RAS). Both works, included into the first part of the collection, are among the most interesting ones. Justifying the possibility for the supreme power to make any concessions to the Duma majority for the sake of preserving domestic political stability, Kulikov and Soloviev consider it from various angles. The former points to the ambiguity of D.F. Trepov's position, revealing the signs of sympathy for the liberals in it; the latter indicates that the positions of both sides were rather ambiguous or even not quite definite. There was no solidarity on the question of the government neither in the ranks of the upper bureaucracy nor among the Cadets. According to K.A. Soloviev, "the Cadets were not ready to negotiate anything with the representatives of bureaucracy", they "did not have the freedom of maneuver in discussing the program guidelines of the future cabinet". Therefore, in many respects, "they did not understand that as fate would have it, they had a long chance to
3 Patrikeeva O.A. Gosudarstvennaia duma Rossiiskoi imperii v prostranstve Peterburga [The State Duma of the Russian Empire in the city space of Petersburg]. Tavricheskie chteniya 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriia i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statei; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [The 2016 Tauride Readings. Actual problems of parliamentarism: History and modernity. In A.B. Nikolaev (Ed.)]. St Petersburg, 2017, part 1, p. 61.
gain some power..."4. I.V. Lukoyanov (SPbIH RAS), summing up the results of the discussion, did not agree with any of its participants and noted the physical impossibility of starting a ministry in Russia, directly responsible to the Duma. He showed that the very issue of practical legal responsibility of ministers in any negotiations was in fact replaced by other more important issues - regarding the personal composition of the government and dedicating the portfolios, as well as the appointment of the future prime minister.
One more discussion - the newspaper controversy between S. S. Tatishchev and A.S. Suvorin regarding the nature of the future government in Russia, became the subject matter of A.E. Kotov' s report (St Petersburg State University - SPbU). The report of the historian D.V. Aronov from Oryol was devoted to the problem of reconstruction of the liberal constitutional draft based on surviving news sources. A. V. Kostylev (SPbSAU) and A.A. Kuznetsov (Kaliningrad) analyzed the Duma electoral mechanics itself in their articles - development of the election legislation, as well as the significance of the 'institute' of electoral delegates. Chelyabinsk researchers V.V. Musatov and N.S. Sidorenko presented the results of a historical and linguistic analysis of the discourse that emerged in the press in the Urals around the topic of convocation of the State Duma. However, one should regret that the authors, having identified the ideological segmentation of this discourse into three different 'camps', did not point out their regional features as clearly.
In the section 'Duma elections in the early 20th century', the work of K. V. Karpenko, Candidate of Juridical Sciences (PhD), Docent of MGIMO University,
rd
comes under notice, which questions the traditional interpretation of the events of 3 June 1907 as an 'upheaval' in the historiography5. The author concludes that the Emperor, according to the Russian Constitution of 1906 (Fundamental Laws of the Russian Empire), possessed constituent authority, which enabled him to dissolve the State Duma, exercising this right being long-approved in the constitutional practice for the head of state. Whereas the introduction of the new electoral law is interpreted as the amendment by the Emperor of the procedure for execution of some of his
4 Soloviev K.A. Kadety i otvetstvennoe pered Dumoi pravitel'stvo. 1906 god [The Cadets and the government responsible to the Duma. Year 1906]. Tavricheskie chteniya 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriia i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statei; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [The 2016 Tauride Readings. Actual problems of parliamentarism: History and modernity. In A.B. Nikolaev (Ed.)]. St Petersburg, 2017, part 1, p. 138.
5 Karpenko K.V. "Tret'eiiun'skaia" monarhiia i polozhenie o vyborakh 1907 g.: opyt iuridicheskoi kvalifikatsii [The Monarchy of the 3rd June 3 and the Russian electoral law of 1907: The experience of a legal qualification]. Tavricheskie chteniia 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriia i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statei; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [The 2016 Tauride Readings. Actual problems of parliamentarism: History and modernity. In A.B. Nikolaev (Ed.)]. St Petersburg, 2017, part 1, pp. 174-183.
rights. Just as the Autocrat of All Russian 'granted' the country with the State Duma, which was partially delegated with his authority, the procedure of elections to the State Duma was harmonized in exactly the same manner.
The same section features a few reports on regional elections and the factors impacting their results. The works focus on Kaluga Governorate (A.A. Ivanov), Nizhny Novgorod Governorate (F.A. Seleznev), Northwestern Krai (E.V. Ivankov) and St Petersburg (D.A. Timokhin).
The last two sections of the first part of the collection ('The Russian parliament in 1906-17: Composition and activities' and 'Parliament, power structure and society in the early 20th century') draw the reader's attention primarily to two main topics: the Duma's legislative work in interaction with the government, the State Council and the actions of specific actors in various political environments of Russia. I. V. Ryabukhin (Perm) devoted his research to the practice of deputy inquiry in the First State Duma. The reports of I.V. Ambartsumov (SPbSU), A.B. Bogomolov (SPbSU) and V.A. Demin (IRH RAS) show how complex the process of discussing the legislative initiatives was as related to matrimonial relations, reforms of primary education and to the activities the Department of Orthodox confession. The system of relations 'Duma -the Council of Ministers' and 'Duma - the State Council' included at that time the third member - the Most Holy Governing Synod, the position of which was impossible to ignore. In his report, A.N. Michurin, Associate Professor of St Petersburg State University, tries to restore the personal composition of influence groups that formed the opposition in the State Council. The material of I. K. Kiryanov, Professor of Perm National Research Polytechnic University, is a little close to the work of A.N. Michurin, in which, with the application of quantitative methods, he studies the composition of the special 'parliamentary sub-elite', i.e. the composition of the most active deputative layer that was already established among the First Duma deputies ('pervodymtsy'). The article of N.A. Portnyagina (SPbSU) shows the first and second State Duma from the perspective of the correspondence between British diplomats who unwittingly applied various concepts and categories only suitable to describe a mature parliamentary system and the institutions referring to it (as was the British Parliament itself), to the unstable delegate body.
The relationship between the chairman of the State Duma and representatives of the press as a factor in the Duma policies are problematized in the report of P.S. Nitkin (SPbSU). The report of D.V. Shchukin (Yelets) is devoted to how, in the political communication connected with the activity of the State Duma, the metaphor of the 'kitchen' and the imaginary space defined by it, were superimposed onto the real space of the buffet and the restaurant, where the deputies gathered, and how the 'kitchen' images became a significant part of the language describing the authorities.
The world of the historian: "The 70th anniversary of Boris Petelin"
Surveys. Reviews '
Here, for the third time, Milyukov's negotiations with Trepov are mentioned - precisely as an example of connection between metaphorics and practice.6
A.N. Egorov (Cherepovets) devoted his research to the question of influence of the State Duma and the reports on its work on the public sentiments among the population of Vologda Governorate. According to his opinion, confirmed by the records management of the provincial gendarme department, this influence was rather insignificant. The reasons for the indifferent attitudes towards the State Duma did not only lie in the poor awareness or semi-illiteracy, however partially, also in the conscious abstraction of the public from the State Duma on the grounds of common sense. In doing so, at the regional level "the version about the serious role of the State Duma in 'rocking the boat' on the eve of the February Revolution was not confirmed" . Pragmatism, as it is shown in the article of R. Ya. Yurkovski (the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland) dictated the position of the Polish deputies, who refused to support the famous Vyborg Manifesto in the summer of 1906.
The report of E.S. Gavroeva (RSPU, St Petersburg) on the complex relationship between M. V. Rodzyanko and the Prime Minister Baron Boris Vladimirovich Stürmer, where the chairman of the State Duma did not always play the role of the middleman of the government course , shapes the transition to the second part of the collection, which is also devoted to the topic of 'transit of power' during the revolutionary period. The report of S.V. Kholyaev (Yaroslavl) is also somewhat 'transitional' in terms of its content, as it focuses on the threat of dissolution of the State Duma that
6 Shchukin D.V. Ot tarelki i bufeta do restorana: «kuhnia» v politicheskikh processakh i povsednevnosti rossiiskogo parlamentarizma nachala XX veka (po vospominaniiam chlenov partii kadetov) [From the plate and the buffet to the restaurant: 'Kitchen' in the political processes and daily routine of the Russian Parliamentarism in the early 20th century (as remembered by the members of the Constitutional Democratic Party (Cadets)]. Tavricheskie chteniia 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriia i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statei; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [The 2016 Tauride Readings. Actual problems of parliamentarism: History and modernity. In A.B. Nikolaev (Ed.)]. St Petersburg, 2017, part 1, p. 301.
7 Egorov A.N. K voprosu o stepeni vliianiia Gosudarstvennoi dumy na politicheskie nastroeniia naseleniia Rossiiskoi imperii (po materialam Vologodskoj gubernii) [On the question of the State Duma influencing the political sentiments of the population of the Russian Empire (based on the materials of Vologda Governorate)]. Tavricheskie chteniia 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriia i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statei; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [The 2016 Tauride Readings. Actual problems of parliamentarism: History and modernity. In A.B. Nikolaev (Ed.)]. St Petersburg, 2017, part 1, p. 315.
8 Gavroeva E.S. M.V. Rodzianko i B.V. Shtiurmer v 1916 g. [Mikhail Rodzyanko and Boris Stürmer in 1916]. Tavricheskie chteniia 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriia i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statei; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [The 2016 Tauride Readings. Actual problems of parliamentarism: History and modernity. In A.B. Nikolaev (Ed.)]. St Petersburg, 2017, part 1, pp. 317-325.
held its meetings at the end of 1916; however such a threat did not materialize. At the same time, the ministry responsible to the Duma was not formed either, although Nicholas II, according to the author of the report, did brood over such plans.
The reports in the second part of the collection are grouped into three sections: the activities of the Russian Imperial Duma and the sources on the history of pre-revolutionary parliamentarism; evolution of parliamentary institutions in the late Soviet Union and the CIS states and, finally, foreign parliamentarism in its actual and historical forms. The materials of the first section are devoted to the analysis of the role of the State Duma in the February Revolution. F.A. Gaida (Lomonosov Moscow State University - MSU) examines the State Duma, on the one hand, as the element of Imperial Manifesto of June 3, 1907 and the newly formed political system as 'the centre of the revolution activities', and on the other hand, as a potential locus of power in the political crisis during February-March 1917. From his point of view, such duality in the status prevented the State Duma from becoming the leading authority in the new system of power. The Provisional Government considered it as the not quite legitimate 'fragment' of the former regime and hence, as its political rival.
rd
A.B. Nikolaev ascertains that on 3m March 1917, a specific political system was cre-
rd
ated in the country (called by him as 'the political system of the 3 of March'), where the State Duma and the Petrograd Soviet acted as the legitimate guarantors of the Provisional Government, defining the new state structure that was entrusted to the All Russian Constituent Assembly, prior to the convening of which, the adherence of the constitutional monarchy employing a parliamentary system was declared formally, whereby the supreme authority was to be exercised by the Provisional Committee of the State Duma9. In the summary report of A.B. Nikolaev's contribution, Professor V.V. Kalashnikov notes the polemical character of the term 'the political system of
rd
the 3 of March', whereby the conclusions regarding the rapid transformation of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma into the main force of the revolution and setting up the 'Duma-Soviet' authority from 27-28th February seem to him to be innovative and well-founded10.
9 Nikolaev A.B. Gosudarstvennaia duma i Fevral'skaia revoliutsiia: 27 fevralia - 3 marta 1917 g. [The State Duma and the February Revolution: 27th February - 3rd March 1917]. Tavricheskie chteniia 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriia i so-vremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statei; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [The 2016 Tauride Readings. Actual problems of parliamentarism: History and modernity. In A.B. Nikolaev (Ed.)]. St Petersburg, 2017, part 2, p. 40.
10 Kalashnikov V.V. Gosudarstvennaia duma i Fevral'skaia revoliutsiia: noveishaia istoriografiia [The State Duma and the February Revolution: The latest historiography]. Tavricheskie chteniia 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriia i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statei; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [The 2016 Tauride Readings. Actual problems
The world of the historian: "The 70th anniversary of Boris Petelin"
Surveys. Reviews '
The materials in the section 'The Duma biographics', which focuses on the facts or events in personal biographies, show how the first Russian parliament functioned at the level of interpersonal interactions, and how the social and political background and personal characteristics of deputies influenced the activities of the internal structure of the State Duma (the article of the Astrakhan researcher A.Ya. Sedova about Alexander Ivanovich Guchkov, Chairman of the Third Duma). Provoking various incidents, such as the parliamentary duel - Alexander Guchkov vs Count Sergey Uva-rov, or 'the greatcoat case' of P.F. Mershchiy, were immediately covered by the press and provided the publicity for the State Duma meetings (see the works of A.A. Ivanov and A.A. Chemakin). The political portraits of such deputies as A. V. Yerop-kin (the author is A.S. Sokolov from Ryazan), N.N.L'vov (by N.V. Samokhvalova, Saratov) and V.A. Kharlamov (by A.A. Panina, Rostov-on-Don), more traditional content-wise, are also placed in this section.
In the source study section of the second part, I would highlight the work of T.A. Barkhatova (Tver), containing the overview of the documents of the Tver Gover-norate election commission. The article not only suggests the index composition and the information asset of the documental complexes, but also provides valuable concrete-historical data, characterizing the public sentiments of the population in Tver Governorate during the time of preparing for holding elections to the First State Duma, as well as the maturity degree of the political consciousness of the voters during the said elections. Thus, the example provided by T.A. Barkhatova of how one of the clergymen complained about violation of his rights to nominate recommendations of electoral delegates as per the principle of seniority-based hierarchical relations11 can be compared with similar facts noted at the district gatherings of the clergy as early as in the 1860s and 1870s. The analysis by D.M. Usmanova (Kazan) conducted with regards to the set of welcoming telegrams received by the Russian Provisional Government from the Muslim communities in Russia is undoubtfully interesting.
The article of V.L. Zemlyanskiy (Komsomolsk-on-Amur) is devoted to the little-known episode of political struggle in the early 1920s in the Russian Far East, the dissolution of Primorsky regional People's Assembly by the Priamur Provisional Government under Merkulov in an effort to form a new representative body that
of parliamentarism: history and modernity. In A.B. Nikolaev (Ed.)]. St Petersburg, 2017, part 2, pp. 47-53.
11 Barkhatova T.A. Obzor dokumentov Gosudarstvennogo arkhiva Tverskoi oblasti po vyboram v I Gosudarstvennuiu dumu Rossiiskoi imperii [Review of the documents of the State Archives of Tver Region regarding the elections to the First State Duma of the Russian Empire]. Tavricheskie chteniia 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriia i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statei; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [The 2016 Tauride Readings. Actual problems of parliamentarism: History and modernity. In A.B. Nikolaev (Ed.)]. St Petersburg, 2017, Part 2, p. 115.
would be more loyal to the executive power. Fairly placed into a separate section, this contribution makes it possible to understand the peculiarity of the political dynamics of the region in the pre-Soviet period.
The block of reports focused on the development of the parliamentary system in the CIS states is started by such researchers as R.A. Yalyshev (Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University - LETI), devoted to the discussion of the draft of the Union Treaty at the Congresses of People's Deputies in 1989-91, and F.V. Malkhozova (IRH RAS) on the organization of elections of people's deputies in the Russian SFSR in 1989-90. In the block, extensive factual material regarding the activities of congresses as state institutions is collected and summarized, alas, still very poorly studied in Russian historical sciences. In this respect, the work of E.A. Tarasova (SPbSU) reveals the role of the Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR directly within preparing the draft of the New Union Treaty. Political content-wise and with polemic sentiments, the essay of Vladimir V. Kara-Murza (the USA) on the parliamentary activities of B. E. Nemtsov, in my opinion, continues a little the line already 'scribed' in the section 'The Duma biographics' and reveals the obvious potential for a comparative study of the life journeys and political paths of the deputies in the early 20th century and in the contemporary history. The reports of I.V. Uzlovaya (SPbSU) regarding the relations of the State Duma of the first convocation and the Government of V.S. Chernomyrdin and that of A.V. Evdokimov (Nizhny Novgorod) on deputies-representatives of the region in the State Duma in 1995-99 are a wake-up call to identify the prospects of comparative studies related to the State Duma (although limited). The reports of E.A. Kochkarova (Bishkek) and M.I. Rosenko (Sevastopol) reveal the essential characteristics and the peculiarities of the post-Soviet parliamentary system on the examples of the unicameral Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Verkhovna Rada in the Ukraine. The report of I. S. Kuchanov (State Historic Library of Russia) describes the role of various parliamentary institutions in the formation of the system of power 'from scratch' under the conditions of Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), the landlocked proto-states in eastern Ukraine with limited international recognition. The problems of Eurasian political and economic integration within the context of activities of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States are highlighted in the articles of T.S. Kalenova (Astana), E.Yu. Treschenkov (SPbSU) and A.A. Nikulina (RANEPA, St Petersburg).
The concluding block of reports consists of the materials on the foreign parliamentary system throughout the history and in today's world. Without characterizing its content in details, I would like to note that the submitted articles describe the various models of parliamentary systems - in Latin America, Germany after World War II, Poland in the early modern era, America, and Austria. The works of S.V.
The world of the historian: "The 70th anniversary of Boris Petelin"
Surveys. Reviews '
Bochkarev (RSPU, St Petersburg) and O.S. Berezkina (MSU) focus on the comparative and legal analysis of the activities of parliaments in the contemporary Western Europe. It is not without reason that as many as eleven articles are devoted to the history of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in the 16th - the middle part of the 20th centuries. These reports are gathered in the third part of the collection. Among them, there is a contribution of one of the leading Russian Anglicists, Professor T.L. Labutina (Institute of World History, Russian Academy of Sciences), on the political party debates in the second half of the 17th century regarding the issues of constitutional legislation.
The reviewed collection seems to be able to equip the wide audience with a clear idea of the present state, range of problems and the quality of research in the domain of history, theory and practice of Russian and foreign parliamentary systems, globally. It will be certainly useful for any expert readers (historians, political scientists or lawyers) in their own research.
References
1. Barkhatova T.A. Obzor dokumentov Gosudarstvennogo arkhiva Tverskoj oblasti po vyboram v I Gosudarstvennuyu dumu Rossiyskoj imperii [Review of documents of the state archives of the Tver region for elections to the first State Duma of the Russian Empire] // Tavricheskie chteniya 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriya i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statej; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [Tavricheskie Readings 2016. Actual Problems of Parliamentarism: History and Modernity. Collection of Scientific Articles; ed. A.B. Nikolaev]. St Petersburg: Eleksis. 2017. Vol. 2. Pp. 112-118.
2. Gavroeva ES. M.V. Rodzyanko i B.V. Shtyurmer v 1916 g. [M.V. Rodzianko and B.V. Stürmer in 1916] // Tavricheskie chteniya 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriya i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statej; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [Tavricheskie Readings 2016. Actual Problems of Parliamentarism: History and Modernity. Collection of Scientific Articles; ed. A.B. Nikolaev]. St Petersburg: Eleksis. 2017. Vol. 1. Pp. 317-325.
3. Egorov A.N. K voprosu o stepeni vliyaniya Gosudarstvennoj dumy na politicheskie nastroeniya naseleniya Rossiyskoj imperii (po materialam Vologodskoj gubernii) [To the question of the degree of influence of the State Duma on the political mood of the population of the Russian Empire (based on the materials of the Vologda province)] // Tavricheskie chteniya 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriya i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statej; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [Tavricheskie Readings 2016. Actual Problems of Parliamentarism: History and Modernity. Collection of Scientific Articles; ed. A.B. Nikolaev]. St Petersburg: Eleksis. 2017. Vol. 1. Pp. 307-316.
4. Kalashnikov V.V. Gosudarstvennaya duma i Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya: novejshaya istoriografiya [The State Duma and the February Revolution: Contemporary Historiography] // Tavricheskie chteniya 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriya i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statej; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [Tavricheskie Readings 2016. Actual Problems
of Parliamentarism: History and Modernity. Collection of Scientific Articles; ed. A.B. Nikolaev]. St Petersburg: Eleksis. 2017. Vol. 2. Pp. 43-53.
5. Karpenko K.V. "Tret'eiyun'skaya" monarkhiya i polozhenie o vyborakh 1907 g.: opyt yuridicheskoj kvalifikatsii ['The Third June' monarchy and the provision on the elections of 1907: The experience of legal qualification] // Tavricheskie chteniya 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriya i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statej; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [Tavricheskie Readings 2016. Actual problems of Parliamentarism: History and Modernity. Collection of Scientific Articles; ed. A.B. Nikolaev]. St Petersburg: Eleksis. 2017. Vol. 1. Pp.174183.
6. Nikolaev A.B. Gosudarstvennaya duma i Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya: 27 fevralya - 3 marta 1917 g. [The State Duma and the February Revolution: 27th February - 3rd March 1917] // Tavricheskie chteniya 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriya i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statej; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [Tavricheskie Readings 2016. Actual problems of Parliamentarism: History and Modernity. Collection of Scientific Articles; ed. A.B. Nikolaev]. St Petersburg: Eleksis. 2017. Vol. 2. Pp. 17-42.
7. Nikolaev A.B. Predislovie [Foreword] // Tavricheskie chteniya 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriya i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statej; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [Tavricheskie Readings 2016. Actual Problems of Parliamentarism: History and Modernity. Collection of Scientific Articles; ed. A.B. Nikolaev]. St Petersburg: Eleksis. 2017. Vol. 1. Pp. 6-10.
8. Nikolaev A.B. Predislovie [Foreword] // Tavricheskie chteniya 2007: Aktual'nye problemy istoriiparlamentarizma v Rossii v nachale XX veka. Nauchno-prakticheskiy seminar, S.-Peterburg, Tavricheskiy dvorets, 11 dekabrya 2007. Sbornik nauchnykh statej; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [Tavricheskiye Readings 2007: Actual Problems of the History of Parliamentarism in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. Scientific and Practical Seminar, St Petersburg, Tauride Palace, 11th December 2007. Collection of Scientific Articles; ed. A.B. Nikolaev]. St Petersburg: Eleksis. 2008. Pp. 4-6.
9. Patrikeeva O.A. Gosudarstvennaya duma Rossiyskoj imperii v prostranstve Peterburga [State Duma of the Russian Empire in the space of Petersburg] // Tavricheskie chteniya 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriya i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statej; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [Tavricheskie Readings 2016. Actual problems of Parliamentarism: History and Modernity. Collection of Scientific Articles; A.B. Nikolaev (ed.)]. St Petersburg: Eleksis. 2017. Vol. 1. Pp. 55-61.
10. Solov'ev K.A. Kadety i otvetstvennoe pered Dumoj pravitel'stvo. 1906 god [The Cadets and the government responsible to the Duma. 1906 year] // Tavricheskie chteniya 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriya i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statej; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [Tavricheskie Readings 2016. Actual problems of Parliamentarism: History and Modernity. Collection of Scientific Articles; A.B. Nikolaev (ed.)]. St Petersburg: Eleksis. 2017. Vol. 1. Pp. 128-138.
11. Shchukin D.V. Ot tarelki i bufeta, do restorana: "kukhnya" v politicheskikh protsessakh i povsednevnosti rossiyskogo parlamentarizma nachala KhKh veka (po vospominaniyam chlenov partii kadetov) [From the plate and buffet, to the restaurant: 'kitchen' in the political processes and daily routine of Russian parliamentarism of the early 20th century (according to the memoirs of the members of the Cadet Party)] // Tavricheskie chteniya 2016. Aktual'nye problemy parlamentarizma: istoriya i sovremennost'. Sbornik nauchnykh statej; pod red. A.B. Nikolaeva [Tavricheskie Readings
2016. Actual Problems of Parliamentarism: History and Modernity. Collection of Scientific Articles; ed. A.B. Nikolaev]. St Petersburg: Eleksis. 2017. Vol. 1. Pp. 296-306.
For citation: Vsevolodov A. Review of the collection: The 2016 Tauride Readings. Actual problems of parliamentarism: History and modernity. International academic conference, St Petersburg, Tauride Palace, 8-9th December 2016. Collection of scientific works; in A.B. Nikolayev (Ed.). St Petersburg: ElekSis, 2017. Historia provinciae - the journal of regional history, 2018, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 121-132.
