PUBLICIST AND EDITOR A. A. BASHMAKOV ON RUSSIA’S DOMESTIC POLICY IN 1905–1907

The article studies the views of the Russian publicist A. A. Bashmakov on the key events of the Russian Revolution of 1905. Interest in this issue is due to the fact that during this period A. A. Bashmakov was not only the editor of several periodicals (Journal de St.-Pétersbourg, “Sankt-Peterburgskii Dnevnik”, “Voennoe Vremia”, “Narodnyi Golos”, “Pravitel’stvennyi Vestnik”, “Vechernee Pribavlenie k Pravitel’stvennomu Vestniku”), but also participated in Russian social and political life as the leader of his own Russian Party of the People’s Center. The author studies his perception of a number of government decrees which implemented the reforms. His position on dealing with the political crisis at different stages of the revolution is indicated. His attitude to the representative system is studied in detail. Chronologically the article covers the period starting from the decree of December 12, 1904, to the Manifesto of June 3, 1907. At the first stage of the revolution, A. A. Bashmakov advocated the convening of a legislative representative institution that would help overcome the political crisis. After the convocation of the Second State Duma, he became convinced that its activities threatened the existence of the Russian historical state power, therefore he supported its dissolution and the new electoral law of June 3, 1907.