A Duma (Ду́ма in Russian) is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history. The State Duma in the Russian Empire and Russian Federation corresponds to the lower house of the parliament. It is also the term for a council to early Russian rulers (Boyar Duma), as well as for city councils in Imperial Russia (City Duma).

Duma in early Russian history

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The term comes from the Russian word думать (dumat), "to think". Boyar Duma was an advisory council to the grand princes and tsars of Muscovy. The Duma was discontinued by Peter the Great, who transferred its functions to the Governing Senate in 1711.

State Duma in Imperial Russia

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Under the pressure of the Russian Revolution of 1905, on August 6, 1905 Tsar Nicholas II issued a manifesto about the convocation of the Duma, initially thought to be an advisory organ. In the subsequent October Manifesto Tsar pledged to introduce basic civil liberties, provide for broad participation in the State Duma, and endow the Duma with legislative and oversight powers. Though Russia was an autocracy, rather than a democracy, the State Duma is sometimes formally compared to the lower house of a parliament (the State Council of Imperial Russia being compared to the upper house).

However, Nicholas II was determined to retain his autocratic power. Just before the creation of the Duma in May 1906, the Tsar issued the Fundamental Laws that contradicted the October Manifesto in several important ways. It stated in part that Tsar's ministers could not be appointed by and were not responsible to the Duma, thus denying representative government at the executive level. Furthermore, the Tsar had the power to dismiss the Duma and announce new elections whenever he wishes. On the day that he dissolved the Duma Nicholas II wrote in his diary only one sentence about the day's highlight news: Signed a decree dissolving the Duma.

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The Second Duma in February 1907 was equally short-lived. Using emergency power, Prime Minister Petr Stolypin changed the electoral law and gave greater electoral value to the votes of nobility and landowners. This ensured the Third Duma would be dominated by gentry, landowners and businessmen.

Between 1907 and 1912, the Octobrist-dominated Third Duma ran its course. Being more oriented towards conservative positions, it was able to last its full five-years term. The assassination of Stolypin and increasingly reactionary policies of the Tsar and his State Council further weakened the significance of the Third Duma.

The Fourth Duma of 1912–1917 was also of limited political influence; however, it played a role in the events of 1917, partly cooperating with the provisional government. It was dissolved in the course of the Russian Revolution.

Seats held in Imperial Dumas

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Party	First Duma	Second Duma	Third Duma	Fourth Duma
Russian Social Democratic Party	-	65	14	14
Socialist-Revolutionary Party	-	34	-	-
Trudoviki	94	101	14	10
Progressives	-	-	39	47
Constitutional Democratic party	179	92	52	57
Non-Russian National Groups	121	-	26	21
Centre Party	-	-	-	33
Octobrist Party	17	32	120	99
Nationalists	-	-	76	88
Extreme Right	15	63	53	64

State Duma in modern Russia

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The State Duma (Russian: Государственная дума (Gosudarstvennaya Duma), common abbreviation: Госдума (Gosduma)) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia (parliament), the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. Under Russia's 1993 constitution, there are 450 deputies of the State Duma (Article 95), each elected to a term of four years (Article 96). One half of the deputies are elected by a system of proportional representation and one half are elected by plurality in single member districts. Russian citizens at least 21 years old are eligible to run for the Duma (Article 97).

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Related article

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• Elections in Russia
• Zemsky Sobor
• Veche

National lower houses National legislatures | Legislatures | Government of Russia | Russian loanwords

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