“Representation of people” of the Russian Empire of the early XX century in memory and fate of members of the Duma

Abstract

Russian history of the early XX century marks a landmark event – establishment of the State Duma, which was the “representation of people” in the government system of the Russian Empire and the emergence parliamentarism in Russia. The “memory studies” methodology elucidates the dramatic history of the State Duma by describing behavioral patterns of the deputies and motivation for their actions, as well as offers a new perspective on this institution of power as the image imprinted in memory of the deputies: diary notes during sessions of the Duma, and memoirs written abroad. The historians dealing with the “memory studies” genre bring the image of “era” to the forefront: historical events in the perception of their contemporaries, participants, witnesses, as well as individual experience, rational assessments, and emotional experiences captured in the diaries, correspondence, and memoirs, which are the sources for studying historical memory. These texts trace the dependence of life path of the deputies, representatives of the Russian political elite, and their personal stories on the fate of the Russian Empire. Such “dependence” is manifested in the chain “memory-identity-trauma”, which is the focus of attention in “memory studies”.