The last chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire. The Council of Ministers was established in Russia

Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire- the highest executive body of the Russian Empire, created in a new form by the personal Highest Decree of October 19, 1905 for the general "management and unification of the actions of the chief heads of departments on subjects of both legislation and higher government controlled". The ministers ceased to be separate officials, each responsible to the emperor only for their actions and orders.

Compound

The Council of Ministers was headed by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers.

The Council of Ministers included:

• Minister of Railways
• Minister of the Imperial Court

1st period

1. Alexander II (1857-1881)

2nd period

1. Witte, Sergei Yulievich (October 19, 1905 - April 22, 1906)
2. Goremykin, Ivan Logginovich (April 22 - July 8, 1906)
3. Stolypin, Pyotr Arkadyevich (July 8, 1906 - September 1, 1911)
4. Kokovtsov, Vladimir Nikolaevich (September 11, 1911 - January 30, 1914)
5. Goremykin, Ivan Logginovich, again (January 30, 1914 - January 20, 1916)
6. Stürmer, Boris Vladimirovich (January 20 - November 10, 1916)
7. Trepov, Alexander Fedorovich (November 10 - December 27, 1916)
8. Golitsyn, Nikolai Dmitrievich (December 27, 1916 - February 27, 1917)

1st period

The Council of Ministers was established for "exclusive consideration in the Highest Presence of His Majesty" of cases requiring "general consideration", that is, related to several branches of government at the same time.

The Council of Ministers consisted of ministers and the chief executives of departments equated to them, the chairman of the State Council and the chairman of the Committee of Ministers, as well as other senior officials by special appointment of the emperor. The emperor himself was the chairman of the Council, who could submit any questions for consideration. All cases were reported to the Council by ministers according to their affiliation, and office work was entrusted to the manager of the Committee of Ministers; The Council of Ministers did not have its own office. At all meetings of the Council, the Secretary of State was present to present information on legislative issues from the affairs of the State Council. Meetings of the Council of Ministers were not regular and were appointed each time by the emperor.

The following were subject to consideration in the Council: “types and assumptions for the arrangement and improvement different parts entrusted to each Ministry and the Main Directorate”, “information on the progress of work on the arrangement and improvement ...”, initial legislative proposals with subsequent submission to the State Council; measures that require the general assistance of various departments, but are not subject to consideration in other higher state institutions; information about the most important orders for each department, requiring a "general consideration"; conclusions of commissions created by the emperor to consider the reports of ministries and main departments.

Notes

Literature

• Statehood of Russia. M., 2001, book. 4, pp. 136-139.
• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907. Article by V.V. Vodovozov

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

The State Council is the highest legislative body of the Russian Empire in 1810-1906 and the upper house of the legislative institution of the Russian Empire in 1906-1917.

The creation of the State Council was announced by the manifesto "Formation of the State Council" of Emperor Alexander I, published on January 1 (13), 1810.

The predecessor of the State Council was the Permanent Council, established on March 30 (April 11), 1801, which was also informally called the State Council, so the date of the foundation of the latter is sometimes referred to as 1801. The formation of the State Council was one of the elements of the program for the transformation of the system of power in Russia, developed by M. M. Speransky. The goals of its creation were detailed in Speransky's note "On the need to establish the State Council."

Formation procedure

1. Departments of the State Council until 1906

Department of Laws (1810-1906). He considered bills in the field of administrative-territorial structure, legal proceedings, taxation, significant reforms of the state apparatus, draft regulations and states of individual state institutions, industrial, financial and commercial societies, public organizations.

Department of Civil and Ecclesiastical Affairs (1810-1906). Considered legal issues and cases of spiritual administration: forms and procedure for legal proceedings; interpretation and application in judicial practice individual articles of civil and criminal legislation; elevation to the nobility and deprivation thereof, of the case on the assignment of princely, count and baronial titles; cases on inheritance, land and other property disputes, on alienation real estate for public needs or its transfer from state ownership to private hands; on the establishment of new dioceses and parishes of the Orthodox and other faiths. Also, the department considered cases that caused disagreements when they were resolved in the Senate or between the Senate and individual ministries.

Department of State Economy (1810-1906). He dealt with issues of finance, trade, industry and public education. He considered bills related to the development of the economy, state revenues and expenditures, financial estimates of ministries and main departments, reports of state banks, taxation issues, granting privileges to individual joint-stock companies, cases of discoveries and inventions.

Department of Military Affairs (1810-1854). Considered questions of the military legislation; recruiting and arming the army; creation of central and local institutions of the military department; means to meet his economic needs; class and service rights and privileges of persons assigned to the military department, their judicial and administrative responsibility. Actually ceased to operate in 1854, but its chairman was appointed until 1858, and members until 1859

Provisional Department (1817). It was formed to consider and prepare bills in the financial field: on the establishment of the State commercial bank, the Council of State Credit Establishments, as well as the introduction of a drinking tax, etc.

Department of Affairs of the Kingdom of Poland (1832-1862). Formed after the abolition of the constitutional autonomy of the Kingdom of Poland for consideration general issues policies in relation to the Polish lands, the development of relevant bills, as well as listing the income and expenses of the Kingdom of Poland.

Department of Industry, Sciences and Trade (1900-1906). Considered bills and budget allocations in the field of development of industry and trade, as well as education; statute approval cases joint-stock companies and railways; granting privileges for discoveries and inventions.

2. State Council in 1906-1917

The Manifesto of February 20, 1906, and the new edition of the Fundamental Laws of the Russian Empire of April 23, 1906 established the State Council as a legislative body - the upper house of the first Russian parliament, along with the lower house - the State Duma.

Departments of the State Council in 1906-1917

The first department concentrated mainly legal matters in its hands. He made decisions on issues that caused disagreement in the Senate, between the Senate and the Ministry of Justice, the Military Council or the Admiralty Council. He considered cases relating to liability for crimes committed by members of the State Council and the State Duma, ministers and other senior officials (holding positions of 1-3 classes according to the Table of Ranks), as well as cases of approval in princely, count and baronial dignity, etc.

The second department was specialized in matters related to finance and economics. He considered the annual reports of the Ministry of Finance, the State Bank, the State Noble Land Bank, the Peasant Land Bank, state savings banks, cases related to private railways, the sale of state lands to private individuals, etc.

The powers of the State Council included consideration of:

new laws or legislative proposals;

issues of internal management requiring the abolition, restriction, addition or clarification of previous laws;

internal and foreign policy in emergency situations;

annual estimate of general state income and expenditure (since 1862 - the state list of income and expenditure);

reports of the State Control on the execution of the list of income and expenses (since 1836);

emergency financial measures, etc.

The Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire is the highest executive body of the Russian Empire, created in a new form by the Imperial Decree of October 19, 1905 for the general "management and unification of the actions of the chief heads of departments on subjects of both legislation and higher state administration" Ministers ceased to be separate officials , responsible to the emperor each only for their actions and orders.

Prior to that, since 1861, there was a body with the same name under the chairmanship of the emperor - along with the Committee of Ministers. He considered cases that required not only the approval of the emperor, but also his personal presence during their discussion. The meetings were not regular and were appointed each time by the emperor.

After the February Revolution of 1917, it was replaced by the Provisional Government.

The Council of Ministers was headed by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers.

The establishment of this department followed in 1861 due to the impossibility of properly organizing the coordination of the activities of individual ministers, who continued the practice of submitting reports to the Emperor, bypassing the Committee of Ministers. Functionally, this institution exists in Russia to this day, having undergone significant changes in 1906. In the Soviet period from 1917 to 1946, it existed as the Council of People's Commissars (SNK), then it was renamed again into the Council of Ministers, then into the Cabinet of Ministers ( 1990 - 1991), and now just the Government of Russia.

Of course, it is hardly correct to compare the Council of Ministers of pre-revolutionary Russia with the current government; if this is done formally, in fact, strictly functionally between the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire and the Government Russian Federation there is much more in common than one might imagine. It is also important for such a functional comparison that the status and powers of the Emperor according to the Main. state zak. dated April 24, 1906 are a striking resemblance to the status and powers of the President of the Russian Federation.

So, the Government of the Russian Empire as a single corporation of ministers has existed since 1861. In total, researchers in the history of this institution distinguish several periods during its existence: 1857 - 1861. - time of formation; 1861 - 1881 - active work of ministers in the Council; 1881 - 1905 - the era of the nominal existence of this body; 1906 - 1914 - the formation of a new organization and practice of an already unified government: 1914 - 1917. - the era of war, which demanded from the Council of Ministers a new organization that met the requirements of wartime. Each of these periods has its own characteristics, which led to changes in one direction or another of the role of the Council.

The composition of the Council of Ministers in the first period of its existence was entirely determined by functional purpose of this body: the Emperor is the chairman, all ministers and chief executives of departments are members. However, the Emperor could appoint other persons to be present in it. In the event that the Council discussed legislative measures, it included the Secretary of State, the head of the State Chancellery, a structural subdivision of the State Council.

A radical change in the composition and competence of the Council of Ministers took place during the broad constitutional reform of 1905-1906. The need to renew the role and place of the Council was very clearly and succinctly expressed by Baron B.E. Nolde: "On the one hand, the general recognition that it is necessary to somehow guarantee the unity of actions of the heads of individual departments, and, on the other hand, that such unity is made an urgent demand political life, since strictly separate legislative authorities are created next to the administration " [Nolde. 1911. S. 121 - 122]. Characteristically, this radical reform of the Soviet coincided with the publication of manifesto dated October 17, 1905, as expressed by the published The highest command dated October 18, 1905: "The Sovereign Emperor has deigned to order the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, State Secretary Count Witte, to take measures to unite the activities of the ministers until the approval of the bill on the Council of Ministers" ( PV. N 222. October 18, 1905). In fact, this Command approved the draft of a new Regulations on the Council of Ministers, which was approved as a law (by personal decree) October 19, 1905, which later became the source of Ch. 5 Main state zak. dated April 23, 1906, with further codification - ch. eleven St. main. state zak. T. I St. Law. ed. 1906

Meaning Institutions of the Council of Ministers 1905 under the conditions of that time is difficult to overestimate, since this act was a very detailed law that regulated the status and powers unified Government of Russia. The most important innovation of the law was the establishment of a permanent head of government - the Chairman of the Council of Ministers and a significant narrowing of the practice of all-subject reports of ministers, bypassing the Council itself. Finally, the practice of such reports could not be eradicated. In particular, this was due to giving the department three ministers: foreign affairs, the Court and appanages of military status, determined rather by the provisions of Art. Art. 8, 12 - 14 Main state zak. dated April 23, 1906 and Art. fourteen Decree dated October 19, 1905 as departments directly subordinate to the Emperor. For the rest, only the Chairman of the Council of Ministers could now come in with the most humble reports, which required the resolution of the Sovereign (Article 7 Decree dated October 19, 1905); ministers, if necessary, to obtain such a resolution, were obliged to submit their report in advance to the Council: "Such all-subject reports are submitted for consideration by the Council by its Chairman or, by agreement with the relevant minister or the head of a separate part, are reported by these subsequent ones directly to the Sovereign Emperor , moreover, if necessary, in the presence of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers "(Article 17 section I Decree dated October 19, 1905). However, after the calm of the country, the Emperor de facto resumed the former practice of hearing the most subordinate reports. However, it was not commensurate with the former, in addition, it should always be remembered that the legislation granted such a right to the Emperor under the department of the three above-mentioned ministers. In addition to the three ministers, further practice established the right of an independent report to the Sovereign, bypassing the Council of Ministers of the State Comptroller, the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod, the chairmen of non-Soviet bodies also enjoyed the same right: the Defense Council, the Admiralty Council, the Finance Committee and some others.

Another major novelty in relation to the Council of Ministers was the establishment of the post of Chairman of the Council of Ministers - the formal prime minister, the head of the government board of the country. Despite the obvious novelty of this organ, the absence of direct analogies, as Baron B.E. Nolde, "the chairman is not pimus inter pares like the chairmen of many of our administrative boards; his position is not an honorable removal from business, brightened up by external honor and the right to lead the debate of an authoritative collegium, which was, for example, the position of the pre-reform chairman of the Committee of Ministers. On the contrary, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers enjoys such rights in relation to other members of the Council that they are placed in a subordinate position in relation to him, and, armed with these rights, he is the representative of the Council before the Supreme Power, on the one hand, and before the legislative institutions - with another" [Nolde. 1911: 175]. It seems to us possible to see in this administrative figure the cumulation of the competence and rights of some of the highest officials of the Empire.

First of all, it seems possible to point to the position of the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, whose formal position of the head of the collegium and the procedural rights arising from this (leading the meeting, etc.) were inherited by the head of government; it is also possible to point to the sphere of competence of the Minister of the Interior, who, according to contemporaries, before the constitutional reform was the actual prime minister - the person who bore full responsibility for the formation and implementation domestic policy Empire. At the same time, we can refer to a clear legal formula derived by Baron B.E. Nolde in his excellent study, with which he tried to explain the nature of the power of the Council of Ministers: "If the law, as a general rule, does not impose on the Monarch the obligation to govern with the participation of the Council of Ministers, then, on the contrary, the obligation to apply to the Council of Ministers in matters of administration is most categorically and definitely assigned on the ministers. This is the main source of the authority and influence of this collegium on the affairs of government. This authority and influence is drawn by the Council not from above, not by delegating to it part of the rights of the Monarch, but from below, by delegating to it part of the powers of individual ministers " [Ibid. S. 193].

So, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, as the head of the Government of the Empire, carried out the general management of the activities of the Council: he received the right of all-subject reports, which was previously used by every minister (Article 7, section I Decree dated October 19, 1905); represented the Council and any of the ministries for general management in the Duma and the State Council (Article 6 Section I. Ibid); he demanded that the ministers subordinate to him provide all the necessary information (Article 8, section I. Ibid); invited to meetings of the Council by his authority required amount experts; authorized the implementation by the ministers of measures on legislative projects and on matters of general administration (art. 13. Ibid). At the same time, the vesting of the Council of Ministers with wide disciplinary power, which was supposed in previous drafts, for example, it was supposed to give him the only right to present candidates for this or that ministerial post to the Emperor, the right to initiate the resignation of this or that minister before him, did not take place. Instead, an article of indefinite content was adopted: "Assumptions of the heads of departments belonging to the ministerial structure on the replacement of the main positions of higher and local government are submitted for discussion by the Council of Ministers" (Article 15, section I Decree dated October 19, 1905). At the same time, appointments by departments were exclusively under the jurisdiction of the Emperor: military, foreign affairs, the Court and appanages. The chairman was not endowed with the right of a decisive vote in the event that the opinions of the members of the Council of Ministers were equally divided (Article 16. Ibid).

According to the composition of the Council of Ministers of the period 1906 - 1917. did not undergo major changes, the only innovation is the abolition of the Emperor's presidency in it, although Art. 5 sec. I Decree dated October 19, 1905 provided for cases when "Imperial Majesty is pleased to preside over the Council of Ministers, the Chairman of the Council participates in it as a member." Members of the Council were all ministers and chief executives of departments, consisting of the rights of ministries, the heads of other institutions were present at meetings of the Council of Ministers "only on the subjects of their department" (Art. 2 Section I. Ibid). As we indicated above, the Presovmina could invite experts to meetings of the Council.

The further practice of the existence of the Council of Ministers as a collegial government body was subject to diverse, sometimes opposing influences and directions. Of great importance for the position of the Council of Ministers were personal qualities its Chairman. In this regard, the history of the government board after 1906 can be divided into two periods: under P.A. Stolypin and after him. The power and statesmanship of Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin, his plans for reforms to transform the state administration of Russia, if they were realized, who knows, the "red wheel" would not have passed through the country. Another sum of influences was expressed in the intensification of management various industries state life. In this regard, attention is drawn to the practice of creating interdepartmental committees under the auspices of the Council of Ministers: the small Council of Ministers (as it is called in the literature), dedicated to the consideration of technical and minor cases under the jurisdiction of the Council; A special meeting on the affairs of the Grand Duchy of Finland, created in 1907 in connection with a change in the status of the Emperor - the Grand Duke: after 1906, the State Duma became between him and this province (we examined this issue in detail above); The Committee for the Settlement of the Far East, formed in 1909 as part of the general Stolypin agrarian reform, and etc.

At the same time, the expansion of the general state policy aimed at state intervention in the economy set the government the task of broader and deeper regulation various areas the life of society. We would be sinning against the truth if we did not mention the opposite tendencies, headed by the Emperor; they were directed towards a gradual revision of all constitutional acts of 1905-1906. Quite a lot was written about this before the revolution and after. If we leave aside the impermissible tone that was a hallmark of Soviet historiography on this issue, then on the whole we have to agree that Soviet historians were right in many respects. But in many ways - does not mean that in everything. The personality of Nicholas II, who was killed by the Bolsheviks along with his children, obliges us to see in his attempts to "restor" the pre-constitutional order only steps towards improving the far from ideal order of governing Russia after 1906. He understood these steps as well as he could, but this is not at all a reason for biased obstruction of his policies; it is clear that the speech this case can only talk about the system of values ​​by which he was guided, and the one by which his detractors are guided.

The German attack on Russia in August 1914 set before her the task of organizing the management of the army and the rear, managing everything national economy. An important role in the reorganization of the country's industry on a war footing was played by the system of so-called special meetings - unique governing bodies of individual industries. The meetings were set up under the leadership of the relevant ministry, including at the same time representatives of industry and workers. Total for law on August 17, 1915, four special meetings were created: on defense; for transportation; food and fuel. The system was headed by the Special Conference on Defense and acted in close cooperation with the military and civilian authorities.

Council of Ministers 19.10.1905-27.02.1917

On October 19, 1905, the Social Museum was reorganized with the aim of “strengthening unity in the activities of ministries and main departments.” The transformed S. m. was entrusted with “the direction and unification of the actions of the chief heads of departments on the subjects of both legislation and higher state administration.”

The emperor appointed one of the ministers or "a special person called to this by royal confidence" as the chairman of the Council of Ministers. In the case of the chairmanship of the S. m. of the emperor, the chairman of the S. m. participated in its work as a member; in the absence of the chairman of the Council of Ministers, he was replaced by one of the members of the Council of Ministers, appointed by the emperor. The chairman of the S. m. had the right to report to the emperor on matters that were subject to the control of the S. m. and required permission from the emperor; he was also granted the right to demand from the heads of departments and parts of the department the necessary information and explanations and "to participate in the affairs of all departments in the State Duma and the State Council." The heads of departments were obliged to inform the chairman of the S. m. general meaning» or related to the competence of other departments; these reports could be submitted by the chairman for consideration by the Council of Ministers or, by agreement between the chairman of the Council of Ministers and the heads of departments, reported by the heads of departments directly to the emperor. The “Establishment of the Council of Ministers” provided for “if necessary” the presentation to the emperor of the most submissive reports on such matters by the heads of departments in the presence of the chairman of the Council of Ministers.

The structure of the S. m. ), state controller and chief prosecutor of the Synod. The heads of other departments participated in meetings of the Council of Ministers only when considering cases that directly related to the competence of their departments.

According to Art. 13 “Institutions of the Council of Ministers”, “no measure of general significance” could be taken by the heads of departments other than the Council of Ministers. However, affairs of state defense and foreign policy, as well as the affairs of the Ministry of the Imperial yard and destinies; they were submitted to the S. m. only on special orders of the emperor or the heads of these departments, when they considered it necessary, or in cases where these cases affected the competence of other departments.

The Decree of April 14, 1906 established that “the auditing activities of the State Audit Office are in no way subject to the competence of the Council of Ministers”; this actually removed the activities of the State Audit Office from the scope of the S. m.

Out of the competence of S. m were also Own e. and. in. Office and Own e. and. in. office for institutions imp. Mary.1

The terms of reference of the Council of Ministers included: the direction of legislative work and preliminary consideration of the proposals of ministries, departments, special meetings, committees and commissions on legislative issues submitted to the State Duma and the State Council; management measures of general importance; discussion of ministerial proposals on a general ministerial structure and on filling the main positions of higher and local government (excluding positions in the ministries of the imperial court and appanages, military, naval and foreign affairs); consideration, by special orders of the emperor, of matters of state defense and foreign policy, as well as cases of the Ministry of the Imperial Court and appanages.

S. m. had significant rights in the field of the state budget and credit: he supervised the preparation of estimates of the state budget and the release of funds for the needs of public administration; resolved disagreements on issues of estimates between departments, the Ministry of Finance and the State Audit Office; opened loans to ministries and departments if the state list had not been approved by the beginning of the budget year; allowed the allocation of super-budget loans to ministries and departments for urgent needs.

According to Art. 87 of the Fundamental Laws of 1906, S. m. received and widely used the right to take measures during the termination of the State Duma, which required discussion in the usual legislative order. However, these measures were not formally supposed to change the Fundamental Laws, the Institutions of the State Duma and the State Council, and the provisions on elections therein. The action of the measures taken by the Council of Ministers during the break in the session of the Duma was terminated if the government did not introduce a bill corresponding to the measure adopted by the government within two months after the resumption of its sessions, and also after the rejection of this bill by the legislative institutions.

During the transformation of the Council of Ministers on October 19, 1905, part of the competence of the Committee of Ministers was transferred to it, including cases that required “general consideration” or the assistance of various ministries, including those affecting the interests of the Military and Naval Ministries; cases that turned out to be difficult for their resolution by the head of the department; all cases on the military side, involving a new routine and addition to the rules for civil administration, as well as the restriction, extension or cancellation of measures previously taken and received the approval of the emperor; cases on the protection of "public order, peace and security"; affairs on national food; emergency cases; higher administrative affairs on splits; community interdiction cases.

K S. m. also moved - at first partially, and from 04/23/1906 completely - current affairs in all ministries and departments, the decision of which exceeded the limits of the authority of the head of the department, as well as cases that required the emperor's sanction.

In connection with the abolition of the Committee of Ministers on April 23, 1906, most of the functions remaining for the Committee of Ministers were transferred to the Council of Ministers; On May 23, 1906, the so-called Small Council of Ministers was formed to consider "committee affairs".

From the abolished Committee of Ministers to the Council of Ministers, the consideration of the notes of the Finnish Governor-General on matters that required coordination of activities in the administration of the empire and Finland was also transferred to the Council of Ministers; With

On May 20, 1908, draft laws for Finland were subject to discussion by the Council of Ministers.

From 1914 to 1917, the S. m. was entrusted with: determining the procedure for attracting all types of sea and river vessels and floating facilities of government agencies of all departments to military service and keeping records of property and personnel(from 06/28/1914); Closing, establishing a special procedure for managing and liquidating the affairs of joint-stock companies, the leaders of which were citizens of states at war with Russia (from 07/01/1915), and joint-stock companies formed under the laws of foreign states, for their operations in Russia (from 10/23/1916); consideration of issues on the mandatory sale of shares owned by citizens of states at war with Russia (from 02/08/1917).

During the period of the simultaneous existence of the Committee of Ministers and the Council of Ministers (10/19/1905 - 04/23/1906), the main form of documenting the meetings of the Committee of Ministers was memorials, after the abolition of the Committee of Ministers - magazines of the Council of Ministers, divided into special and general. Special journals documented the consideration of the most important issues in the S. m., general journals - secondary ones.

Office work of the S. m. in the period 10/19/1905 - 04/23/1906 was conducted by the Office of the Committee of Ministers, transformed on 04/23/1906 into the Office of the S. m.

On December 31, 1909, the St. Petersburg Telegraph Agency was transferred from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance to the Council of Ministers.

The S. m. ceased its activities on February 27, 1917 during the February Revolution. The functions of the S. m. as the highest body of state administration were transferred to the Provisional Government formed on March 2, 1917.

Chairmen of the Council of Ministers:

1905.19.10 - 1906.22.04 - gr. Witte S.Yu.

1906.22.4 - 08.07 - Goremykin I.L.

1906.08.7 - 1911.05.09 - Stolypin P.A.

1911.11.9 - 1914.30.01 - Kokovtsov V.N.

1914.30.1 - 1916.20.01 - Goremykin I.L.

1916.20.1 - 10.11 - Stürmer B.V.

10.11.1916 - 12.27 - Trepov A.F.

1916.27.12 - 1917.27.02 - book. Golitsyn N.D.

3 PSZ. T. 25. No. 26820, 10/19/1905; T. 26. No. 27700, 04/14/1906;

No. 27804, 04/23/1906; No. 27805, 04/23/1906; No. 27929a, May 23, 1906; T. 28.

No. 30379, 05/20/1908; T. 29. No. 32662, 10/27/1909; No. 32871, 12/31/1909;

T. 30. No. 33795, 06/17/1910; T. 34. No. 42295, 07/19/1914; SU. 1909. Dep. one.

No. 15, art. 81; 1915. Det. 1. No. 205, Art. 1609; 1916. Det. 1. No. 115, Art. 910;

No. 302, art. 2376; 1917. Det. 1. No. 39, art. 216; No. 63, art. 368.

RGIA, f. 1276 (16,022 days).

1 On November 21, 1907, S. M. recognized it necessary that all the most important legislative assumptions on the VUiM, as well as issues related to other parts of the state administration or requiring new expenses of the State Treasury, be submitted for its preliminary consideration (RGIA, f. 1276, op. 20, d. 17, l. 64 - 69 o6.).

Small Council of Ministers1

23.05.1906-27.02.1917

In accordance with the emperor's order on May 23, 1906, on the report of the chairman of the Council of Ministers, when considering "the affairs of the former Committee of Ministers", the ministers and chief executives of individual units in the Council of Ministers were replaced by their comrades. The Special Conference that arose in this way, which did not receive an official status and name, was a subsidiary body under the Council of Ministers, which considered and resolved relatively unimportant cases of an administrative, financial and economic nature. The chairmanship of the M.S.M. was entrusted to one of the ministers appointed by the emperor. The decisions of the M.S.M. were documented in the general journals of the Council of Ministers.

At the beginning of its activities, the jurisdiction of the MSMS included: cases on the approval of the charters of joint-stock companies that did not require legislative consideration; the appointment of pensions and benefits in amounts exceeding the power of the minister; compiling a list of positions that exempted from conscription into the army; consideration of resolutions of the Central Congress of Steamshipmen and Shipowners, which are of a general nature; consideration of the proposals of the ministers on leaving without consequences the petitions of the provincial zemstvo assemblies; establishment of the procedure, term and form for the submission of governor's reports, affairs for the clarification and development of the Charter of the Orthodox Missionary Society; cases on alienation of houses of the State Bank; consideration of the submissions of the GUZiZ on the subordination and withdrawal of certain areas from the provisions of the Regulations on the conservation of forests.

Subject to a unanimous decision, M.S.M. resolved cases that were of secondary importance, or such cases for which a uniform practice for their resolution was developed. 09/22/1909 for M.S.m. the right to make a final decision on current management issues was secured.2 In the M.S.M.

In the course of the activity of the Council of Ministers, the competence of the M.S.M. also included the consideration of cases on the establishment of enhanced and emergency security in certain areas, the establishment in these areas of special gendarmerie, Cossack and police teams, including draft laws on the staffing of various police institutions; M.S.M. discussed questions of coordinating the tactics of individual departments in relation to the State Duma.

M. S. m. also considered legislative cases in the order of dispensation, i.e. e. exemptions from the law for particular cases, including exemptions from laws relating to the state economy: on the lease of state lands, on changes in lease conditions and the provision of benefits, on the admission of deviations from the Mining Charter in the interests of the gold, mining and oil industries, on providing industrialists with benefits and derogations from the rules established for possessory factories; exemption from fiscal laws: for government contracts and deliveries; on granting benefits to contractors; on the addition and installment of state arrears; on exemptions from the statutes on excise duties, customs and direct taxes; on cases of state-owned sale of drinks; exemptions from civil laws: on the permission and opening of factories and factories and the erection of buildings in areas where they were limited or prohibited by law; on deviations from the rules on majorate or fideikomiss estates.4

Office work of the M.S.M. was conducted by the Chancellery of the Council of Ministers.

Chairmen of the Small Council of Ministers:5

13.13.1906 - 05.1911.09 - Kokovtsov V.N.

1911.05.10 - 1916.25.01 - Kharitonov P.A.

1916.20.2 - 16.09 - Khvostov A.A.

1916.21.9-10.11 - Trepov A.F.

14.11-20.1916 - Makarov A.A.

1917.05.1 - 27.02 - Dobrovolsky N.A.

SU. 1909. Dep. 1. No. 15, art. 81.

RGIA, comp. f. 1276.

1 Unofficial name found in memoir sources and adopted in historical literature; in official sources since 1909 it was sometimes called the Council of Ministers of a reduced composition.

2 RGIA, f. 1276, op. 5, d. 3, l. 93-94.

3 Ibid., l. 66 - 69.

4 Ibid., op. 4, d. 12, l. 10-11 about.

5 M.S. m., as a rule, was headed by a member of the Council of Ministers, who was appointed by the emperor to replace the chairman of the Council of Ministers in the event of his absence or illness (RGIA, f.

1276, op. 1, d. 29). In 1909-1911, at the meetings of M. S. m., in addition to V. N. Kokovtsov, P. A. Kharitonov also presided. After the appointment of V. N. Kokovtsov as chairman of the Council of Ministers, P. A. Kharitonov became the permanent chairman of M. S. m.

Office of the Council of Ministers

23.04.1906-10.03.1917

Transformed from the Office of the Committee of Ministers to handle the business of the Council of Ministers.

Initially, the K.S. m included four departments.

The 1st branch was in charge of the affairs of the Caucasus, railway (related to the society of the CER), the affairs of the Committee for the Settlement of the Far East (since 10/27/1909).

2nd department - budget, financial, commercial, industrial and customs affairs; about taxes, duties, taxes and duties; cases relating to national defense; according to the most obedient reports of governors-general, governors, heads of regions and chief atamans of the Cossack troops.

3rd department - affairs for the scientific and educational parts, religious affairs, peasant, land management, resettlement, national food, road and postal and telegraph parts; The department also initially dealt with city, medical, oil, and installment and accumulation of arrears, which from 1911 were transferred to the jurisdiction of the 4th department.

the 4th department was in charge of political, police, and pension affairs; cases on the application of the Charter on the civil service; on guardianships and on reserved and majorate estates; on acceptance into Russian citizenship and deprivation of it; on the alienation of church property; cases submitted from the Office e. and. in. accepting requests; cases on the rejection of zemstvo petitions; on the consideration of the most subordinate reports of the State Comptroller.

07/01/1909 the 5th department was formed, which was in charge of Finnish affairs, and also compiled reviews of the periodical press.

From 06/17/1910, the 6th department was formed, which was in charge of financial and economic issues, including the financial affairs of Finland;

On June 29, 1914, the 7th department was formed, which was entrusted with the administration of office work for the Romanov Committee.

On January 1, 1917, a temporary 8th department was formed to conduct correspondence of the chairman of the Council of Ministers.

05/03/1916 as part of K. s. m., a Special Records Management was formed to conduct business first of the Special Meeting on Financial and Economic Issues, and from 06/28/1916 - the Special Meeting to unite activities related to supplying the army, navy and organizing the rear. All cases related to the circumstances of wartime and which went beyond the normal competence of the C. s. were concentrated in the Special Record Keeping. m.

A special office kept correspondence on behalf of the chairman of the Council of Ministers, compiled his most submissive reports and extracts from the verbatim reports of the State Duma; conducted office work on meetings and commissions formed by the chairman of the Council of Ministers to resolve private issues caused by the war; conducted office work of specially authorized chairmen of the Council of Ministers, appointed in accordance with the Regulations of 07/03/1916.1

B composition K. s. m. also included the Expedition (inspectorate), the Archive, the Pavilion of Ministers at the State Duma (from 12/25/1909), the Economic Committee (from 06/19/1914) .2

03/10/1917 K. s. m. was renamed the Chancellery of the Provisional Government.

Managers of the Council of Ministers:

1905.19.10- 1906.02.04 - bar. Nolde E.Yu.

1910.18.4- 1914.07.03 - Plehve H.B.

1914.24.5 - 1917.14.03 - Lodyzhensky I.N.

Assistants to the Governor of the Council of Ministers:

1906.21.6- 1910.18.04 - Plehve H.B.

1910.17.5 - 1914.24.05 - Lodyzhensky I.N.

1914.29.5 - 1916.10.10 - Yakhontov A.H.

1914.14.7-1917 [...] - Nikitin B.B.

1916.17.10 - 1917.20.03 - Putilov A.S.

3 PSZ. T. 26. No. 27804, 04/23/1906; T. 29. No. 32210, 06/21/1909; No. 32835, 12/25/1909; T. 34. No. 42065, 06/29/1914; No. 42295, 07/19/1914. SU. 1915. Det. 1. No. 139, art. 1071; 1916. Det. 1. No. 193, Art. 1628; 1917. Det. 1. No. 63, art. 368.

RGIA, comp. f. 1276.

1 The last outgoing document of the Special Office is dated 02/26/1917 (RGIA, f. 1276, op. 15, file 57).

2 In December 1916, there was a redistribution of cases between the structural parts of the K. s. m. (ibid., d. 1, l. 30 - 33).

Institutions under the Council of Ministers

Petrograd telegraph agency 14.06.1902*-07.09.1918

Trade Telegraph Agency (06/14/1902 - 07/21/1904) St. Petersburg Telegraph Agency (07/21/1904-08/19/1914) Petrograd Telegraph Agency (08/19/1914 - 09/07/1918)

06/14/1902 The telegraph department under the Trade and Industrial Newspaper published by the Ministry of Finance was transformed into the Trade and Telegraph Agency, whose tasks included “message ... to trade, agriculture, industry and credit institutions of the telegraph information they need, relating to the commercial and industrial interests of Russia.

On 07/21/1904, by agreement of the ministers of finance, internal affairs and foreign affairs, the agency was transformed in order to "without officially attaching ... to the agency the significance of a government establishment, to establish an interdepartmental telegraph agency."3 At the head of the agency, which remained under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance, a Board of three directors was appointed: a managing director (from the Ministry of Finance) and directors from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The transformed agency, which received the name of the St. Petersburg Telegraph Agency, was instructed to "report within the empire and abroad political, financial, economic, trade and other information of public interest"; the agency was also entrusted with the dissemination of “news, messages, explanations and refutations” of higher and central government agencies.4

On December 31, 1909, the agency was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Council of Ministers; the overall direction of the agency was entrusted to the Council, which included a managing director, a second director, appointed by the chairman of the Council of Ministers, and the head of the Commercial Department, appointed by the Minister of Finance in agreement with the Minister of Trade and Industry. The direct management of the affairs of the agency was carried out by the managing director.

In 1909-1917, the structure of the agency included the Chancellery, the Commercial Department, the Political Department (until 1916). In 1916 the Department of External Communications and the Department of Internal Communications were formed. The agency had branches and correspondents in many cities of Russia, as well as in foreign countries.

On April 17, 1916, the Regulations on the PTA were changed: the Council of the PTA was headed by the manager of the Council of Ministers, and the Council also included the manager of the Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the manager of the Commercial Department of the agency.

After February Revolution The PTA was under the Provisional Government. On April 27, 1917, the PTA was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Special Commission for the Liquidation of the Main Directorate for Press Affairs; at the same time, the staff of the PTA was approved. On September 16, 1917, the PTA came under the jurisdiction of the Chancellery of the Provisional Government.

On November 18 (December 1), 1917, the PTA was transformed into the central information body under the Council of People's Commissars; On 09/07/1918, by a decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the PTA, merged with the Press Bureau under the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, received the name of the Russian Telegraph Agency under the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (Rosta).

PTA directors:

1903.01.1 - 1903.14.02 - Fedorov M.M.

1903.14.2 - 1904.01.09 - Miller P.I.

PTA Managing Directors:

1904.01.9 - 1906.28.04 - Miller P.I.

1906.03.5 - 1907.13.03 - Trubachev C.S.

1907.14.3- 1909 [...] - Girs A.A.

1909.01.10-1916 [...] - Lamkert O.-F. AND.

1916.15.2 - 1917.01.03 - Gurlyand I.Ya.

1917.01.3-01.07 - Lovyagin A.M.

1917.01.7- [...]10 - Raetsky C.C.

3 PSZ. T. 29. No. 32871, 12/31/1909; SU. 1916. Det. 1. No. 115, Art. 910;

1917. Det. 1. No. 109, Art. 598; No. 246, art. 1748; Decrees of the Soviet power. M., 1957. T. 1. No. 77. S. 109-110.

RGIA, f. 1358 (2104 days).

1 RGIA, f. 1358, op. 1, d. 1, l. one.

2 Ibid., l. 40.

3 Ibid., d. 2, l. one.

4 Ibid., l. 2.

Committee for Settling the Far East 10/27/1909-08/17/1915

Formed under the Council of Ministers "for the unification and general direction of government measures for the colonization of the Amur Territory."

The committee included: chairman - one of the members of the Council of Ministers by appointment of the emperor, members - representatives of the ministries:

the imperial court and appanages, foreign affairs, military, maritime, internal affairs, justice, finance, trade and industry and communications, as well as the Main Directorate of Land Management and Agriculture and State Control and, if necessary, the Synod and the Ministry of Public Education; During their stay in St. Petersburg, the Amur and Irkutsk governors-general, the military governors of the Amur, Primorsky and Trans-Baikal regions, as well as the civil governors of Irkutsk, Yakutia and Kamchatka participated in the meetings as members.

Ha committee was entrusted with the overall management of the study and settlement of areas crossed by the Amur railway; promoting the development of industrial and economic activity in these areas; development of steamship communications, dirt roads and access roads in the Amurskaya railway and the implementation of other ancillary activities in connection with the construction of the railway; coordination of resettlement activities of local authorities of the Far East; preliminary discussion and agreement, prior to submission to the Council of Ministers, of all estimated and legislative proposals of the governors general and central departments on all issues related to the settlement of the Far East.

The office work of the committee was conducted by the Chancellery of the Council of Ministers.

The last surviving journals are dated 08/17/1915.1 Exact date termination of the committee's activities has not been established.

Chairman of the Committee for Settling the Far East

1909.27.10 -1911.05.09 - Stolypin P.A.2

3 PSZ. T. 29. No. 32662, 10/27/1909.

RGIA, f. 394 (68 days).

1 RGIA, f. 1276, op. 6, d. 153, l. 105 - 106 (Copy of the journal of the committee ... No. 29) and l. 107-108 (Copy of the journal of the committee... No. 30).

2 The chairmen of the committee in 1911 - 1915 have not been established; in 1915 one of the journals was signed by A. V. Krivoshein, who replaced the chairman.

A special meeting formed to unite measures aimed at strengthening people's sobriety1 1S.06.191S- [ 109.19172

Formed in accordance with the special journal of the Council of Ministers dated 04/10/1915, approved by the emperor on 06/18/1915 as a special interdepartmental meeting "for a comprehensive discussion of the necessary, in terms of strengthening the principles of sobriety in the population, measures"; the conclusions of the meeting at the end of its work were to be considered by the Council of Ministers.

Composition of the meeting: chairman (by appointment of the emperor) - managing director of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Prince. N.B. Shcherbatov (01.07 - 26.09.1915), gr. A.A. Bobrinsky (28.01-08.04.1916), book. D.P. Golitsyn-Muravlin (04/08/1916 -[...] 1917), members - representatives of ministries and main departments, as well as "specially invited" V.S. Krivenko (from 05/06/1916); On 01/04/1917, the chairman of the meeting was granted the right to include in its composition, as full members, also persons at the invitation of the chairman. In accordance with this right, members of the State Council M. M. Borodkin and A. N. Derevitsky, a member of the State Duma I. V. Godnev, and the chairman of the Moscow Diocesan Society for the Fight against Folk Drunkenness, Protopresbyter N.A. Lyubimov, Professor of Moscow University A. A. Kornilov, Chairman of the Russian Society for the Fight against Alcoholism A. L. Mendelson, Chairman of the Commission on Combating Alcoholism of the Society for the Protection of Public Health M. N. Nizhegorodtsev, Chairman of the Russian Medical Society of Teetotal Doctors I. V. Sazhin.3

The office work of the meeting was conducted by the State Chancellery.

The meetings of the meeting took place on 05.05 and 29.10.1916.

During its activity, the meeting gathered general materials o6 strengthening sobriety, information on the provinces on the state of winemaking and the level of consumption of alcoholic beverages by the population, collected and considered proposals from departments on the introduction of measures necessary to combat violations of dry law and the illegal sale of alcoholic beverages. The meeting also tried to involve the public in its activities and held a "preliminary meeting of public figures".

An exact closing date for the meeting has not been set; his last materials are dated September 1917. 4 RGIA, f. 1242 (18 days).

1 In the records (journals) of the meeting, it was called: Special meeting to strengthen sobriety among the people (RGIA, f. 1242, op. 1, d. 6, l. 1, 6).

2 RGIA, f. 1276, op. 5, d. 688, l. 287-289o6.; f. 1242, op. 1,d. 14, l. 112.

3 Ibid., f. 1242, op. 1, d. 4, l. 60, 76.

Duma monarchy in faces. Chairmen of the Council of Ministers.

On October 17, 1905, the Manifesto of Emperor Nicholas II was issued, which marked the actual end of the Autocratic Monarchy in Russia. According to the new edition of the Fundamental State Laws, the Emperor retained full executive power, but his legislative rights were limited. Laws could be adopted only after their approval by the State Duma and the State Council.
This is new state structure was named " Duma monarchy».
On October 19, 1905, a reform of the executive power was carried out - the Supreme Decree was issued to the Governing Senate "On measures to strengthen unity in the activities of ministries and main departments." Established Council of Ministers- in the composition of ministers and chief executives of separate parts, “belonging to the general ministerial structure”, with the right of other chief commanders to participate in the Council “on the subjects of their department”. Chairman of the Council of Ministers was appointed by the emperor and had the right:
1. Participate in the affairs of all departments in State Duma and the State Council and to replace in these institutions any minister or chief executive.
2. To enter the emperor with the most humble reports on cases considered in the Council of Ministers and requiring Highest Resolution, as well as on other matters at its own discretion.
3. Request the necessary information and explanations from the heads of individual departments and departments.
4. To invite to meetings of the Council persons who do not have the status of a member of the Council of Ministers.
5. Submit cases to the Council of Ministers.
6. To control the most subordinate reports of ministers and chief executives, to be present at such reports to the emperor.
During the existence of the Duma Monarchy, there were 7 Chairmen of the Council of Ministers, one of whom (I.L. Goremykin) was twice appointed to this post.

Chairmen of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire:

1. gr. Witte Sergey Yulievich (1849 - 1915)
son of Yul.Fed.Witte (1814-1868) and Ekat. Andr. Fadeeva (1819-1898).
married 1st marriage to Nad.Andr.Ivanenko (d.1890), 2nd marriage to Matilda Iv. Nurok (1863-1924), had no children.
Minister of Railways in 1892
Minister of Finance 1892 - 1903
Chairman of the Committee of Ministers 1903-1905
Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 10/19/1905 to 04/22/1906
last rank - actual Privy Councilor (1899)

2. Goremykin Ivan Logginovich(1839-1917)
son of Logg. Iv. Goremykin (1809-1864) and Cap. Iv. Mankosheeva (1818-1856)
married to Alex.Iv. Kapger (1845-1917) and had children: Alexandra (1817-1917), Tatiana (1872-1965) and Mikhail (1879-1927)
Minister of the Interior in 1895-1899
Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 22.04. until 08.07. 1906 and from 01/30/1914 to 01/20/1916
last rank - real Privy Councilor 1st class (1916)
Killed along with his wife and daughter during a robbery.

3. Stolypin Petr Arkadievich(1862-1911)
son of Ark. Dm. Stolypin (1822-1899) and Prince Nat. Mikh. Gorchakova (1827-1889),
married to Ol.Bor. Neidhardt (1859-1944) and had children: Maria (1885-1985), Natalia (1891-1949), Elena (1893-1985), Olga (1895-1920), Alexandra (1897-1987) and Arcadia (1903-1990) ).
Minister of the Interior in 1906 -1911
Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 07/08/1906 to 09/11/1911
last rank - chamberlain of the court (1906).
Killed by a terrorist.

3. gr. Kokovtsev Vladimir Nikolaevich(1853-1943)
son Nick.Vas. Kokovtsev (1814-1873) and Agl. Nick. Insurance, married to Anna Fed. Oom (1860-1950), had a daughter, Olga (1881-after 1945).
Minister of Finance in 1904-1905 and 1906-1914
Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 09/11/1911 to 01/30/1914
last rank - actual Privy Councilor (1905)
Died in exile.

4. Shtyurmer Boris Vladimirovich(1848-1917)
son of Vl. Wilg. Stürmer (1819-1890) and Erm. Nick. Panina (1830-1874), married to Eliz.Vas.Strukova (1865-1917), and had sons: George (1880-after 1917) and Vladimir (1883-after 1917).
Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 20.01. by 10.11. 1916
Minister of the Interior in 1916
Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1916
last rank - chief chamberlain of the court (1916)
Died in custody.

5. Trepov Alexander Fyodorovich(1862-1928)
son of Fed. Fed. Trepov (1809-1889) and Vera Vas. Lukashevich (1821-1866), married to Sof. Dm. Kazina (1863-1941), had daughters: Sophia (1884-1947) and Elena (1885-1960).
Minister of Railways in 1915-1916
Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 10.11. to December 27, 1916
the last rank is the Jägermeister of the court (1905).
Died in exile.

6. book. Golitsyn Nikolay Dmitrievich(1850-1925)
son of Prince Dm.Bor.Golitsyna (1803-1864) and Sof.Nik.Pushchina (1827-1876), married to Evg.Andr.Grunberg (1864-1934) and had children: Dmitry (1882-1928), Nikolai (1883-1931 ), Alexandra (1885-1974), Sophia (1886-1891), Eugene (1888-1928), Olga (1891-1892).
Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 12/27/1916 to 03/02/1917
the last rank is the actual Privy Councilor (1914).
Repressed by the Bolsheviks.