The Constitutional Democrats and the Jews: National Election Campaigns in Kiev Province, 1905-1912
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The Constitutional Democrats and the Jews: National Election Campaigns in Kiev Province, 1905-1912 by Mariya Melentyeva A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Department of History and Classics University of Alberta © Mariya Melentyeva, 2018 ABSTRACT This study explores a period of vibrant political life in Imperial Russia through the prism of electoral politics, a powerful modernizing force. In the early twentieth century, the empire embraced practices which transformed the power balance between the imperial centers and borderlands, with local initiative becoming an influential factor in imperial politics. The Russian Revolution of 1905 brought constitutional monarchy to multinational Imperial Russia, with almost universal male suffrage, and ushered in a new reality of mass politics. The elections to the State Duma – the first Russian parliament – and the preparation for them provided an avenue for politically active citizens of the Russian Empire to influence the future of Russia. Among them were Jews, who were legally deprived, but whom the election law had nevertheless enfranchised. They were restricted to reside in the Pale of Jewish Settlement, fifteen provinces in the Russian western borderlands, where they became prominent players in the national elections as candidates, political activists, and voters. Jewish support for the liberal party of Constitutional Democrats (Kadets) emerged as a prominent feature of provincial politics in the Pale. This study focuses on the multiethnic province of Kiev and examines how the Kiev Kadets developed their electoral strategies to enlist the support of local Jews. Jews joined the Kadet provincial organization in large numbers and played a key role in articulating electoral strategies to mobilize Jewish support for the Kadets. In contrast to previous works of the Kadet Party, which have studied it from above, and those which examine Jewish electoral politics, this research places the Kadets’ engagement with the Jewish population in Kiev province into the broader story of imperial politics and shows how ethnic politics influenced the Kadets’ electoral strategies. Unlike other local studies that emphasize ii confrontations among political parties or between the Christian population and the Jews, this dissertation tells a story of rapport and compromise in provincial politics. This dissertation argues that electoral politics created a special realm which forced empire-wide political parties, provincial groups, and voters to raise and discuss questions of loyalties, identities, and political preferences in a modernizing empire. The measure of the Kadets’ success in Kiev province lay in their ability to pursue a policy of cooperation in an increasingly divisive political environment. Despite rising Russian, Jewish, and Ukrainian nationalisms and polarization of society along class lines, the Kadet-Jewish cooperation repeatedly produced results, which illustrates the potential that the liberal program enjoyed among ethnic minorities. On a broader scale, this study shows that the liberals’ electoral politics in Kiev province shaped the development of regional identities that were congruent with loyalties to a modernizing empire. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is a pleasure to acknowledge the material and intellectual support of the institutions and individuals that made the research and writing of this dissertation possible. At the earlier stages, the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship, the Ivan Lysiak-Rudnytsky Award, and the Provost Doctoral Entrance Award funded my graduate education and research trips to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Kyiv. The Kathryn Davis Graduate Student Travel Grant Program funded my trip to the Summer Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois. Grants from the Department of History and Classics at the University of Alberta allowed me to travel to numerous conferences to present the findings of my research. My greatest debt is to my supervisors, David Marples and Heather Coleman, who advised me in my research and writing over many years. I benefitted greatly from the guidance of David Marples, who allowed me to explore the broader perspectives of my research and helped me shape the initial direction of my inquiry. Over the years, his comments and suggestions taught me to pay attention to the details and to write with more clarity. I am grateful to Heather Coleman for taking the supervisory duties later. She shared her extraordinary expertise in Imperial Russia with me and encouraged me to explore larger themes of my research. She helped me put my research back on track after I experienced a complete change in my life with the arrival of my daughter and guided me to complete my dissertation. I am grateful to my advisors for many more things that would be difficult to describe here. I thank my professors and colleagues for their suggestions and criticism that I received at the East Europeanist Historians’ Circle at the University of Alberta, especially Elena Krevsky, Victor Taki, and Eduard Baidaus. John-Paul Himka has served on my iv committee and gave me his support. I have appreciated his stimulating questions, which inspired me to see new perspectives. Justine Gill patiently read early versions of two of my chapters, edited many pages of my brainstorming, and gave me encouragement. Aileen Friesen has carefully read many conference papers as well as parts of my chapters and worked with me to improve my presentations. On one key occasion, her insight helped me overcome a deep organizational crisis. She has been an exemplary colleague and friend, who inspired me with her thoughtful questions and reassuring comments. I would like to thank the late John D. Klier for introducing me into the Jewish history in Imperial Russia. Alexei Miller advised me on my initial research question. My mentors Aaron Retish, Robert Weinberg, and Joshua Sanborn have counselled me through the period of intensive writing. Faith Hillis and Alexandra Corros offered me their advice at a time when I felt discouraged and sought a way out of an intellectual impasse. My thanks to all of them for their interest in me and my project. My friends Anna Eraut and Anna and Dmitry Nerukhs have always believed in me more than I have believed in myself. During the last two years, my friend Oksana Parhomenko read a daily portion of my writing every day, offering incomparable warmth and cheer. I am grateful to my students at the University of Alberta and University of Manitoba, as well as my students and colleagues at the private gymnasium in Ukraine, for stimulating my thinking about broader concepts in Russian history. In four countries, librarians, archivists, and staff provided valuable assistance in my research. In Russia, I have worked in the State Archive of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Historical Archive, and the Russian National Library. In Ukraine, I used the materials of the Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine, the State Archive of Kiev v Oblast, the State Archive of Kiev, and the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine. My special thanks to the staff of its Newspaper Department, whose assistance helped me complete my research at the shortest possible time. I have benefitted from attending the Summer Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois, where Joseph Lenkart and other librarians provided essential assistance in my working with primary sources. The staff of the library of the University of Alberta managed my numerous book requests. My special thanks to the librarians of the Interlibrary Loan Department, who found and delivered materials from all over North America and also from Germany and Russia. In St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Kyiv, I enjoyed hospitality of Elena and Alexander Kalmykovy, Maria Kharshiladze, and Dar’ya Movchanets. Finally, I would like to give my special thanks to my family. My husband Alexander, who agreed to relocate with me to Canada from Ukraine so I could pursue my doctorate, has supported me financially whenever my funds faded out and most importantly, he has retained his sanity throughout this journey. My daughter Elizabeth decided to be born in the middle of my research and since then has kept bringing her special approaches to my writing. My parents and mother-in-law took turns to endure many winter months in Edmonton, taking care of their granddaughter, while I travelled to Russia and Ukraine to work in the archives. My brother Pavel has always showed me his love and I value his friendship. My aunt Nadezhda has been by my side during many trying months for our family. My parents, Tatyana and Boris Sidorovy started me on my academic journey long before they became aware of this fact. My mother did not live to see the completion of my dissertation. To her and my father, I dedicate this work. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix Tables ................................................................................................................................. ix Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................