The Zemstvo as a Challenge: Paradoxes of Governmental Discourse in 1894-1904
The paper analyzes the paradoxical coexistence of two understandings of the Zemstvo in the Russian governmental discourse during 1894-1904: it was perceived, on the one hand, as a legitimate local self-government that should be developed and implemented in the regions lacking it and, on the other hand, as an environment viable for implanting the idea of the inevitability of a constitutionalist perspective in the society and the state. The interconnection of both these interpretations with the political situation and the struggle of key ministers and their groups was discussed. The work is of particular interest and relevance, because it demonstrates how the transformation of the perception of the Zemstvo evolved in governmental circles throughout this period, how it was used by the highest bureaucracy, and how it influenced the image of the Zemstvo in the society. The research is based on documents, which were either reinterpreted or for the first time introduced into the scholarly discourse. The results enable adjustments to be made to the historiographic assessment of Russia’s domestic political development from the accession to the throne of Nicholas II until the large-scale political crisis of 1905-1906, which eventually culminated in a fundamental reform of the state system.