Russia and a Constitution

[JonasResende]

When Tsar/Emperor Alexander II Nikolaïevich was murdered by the bomb being thrown at his carriage, he reportedly had a rough draught of a constitution for Russia in his pocket.

When hearing of his father's death, Alexander III took the draught and according to the stories, tore it up, or sliced it up with a paper knife. What if one of two things happened, either a) Alexander II somehow pushes this constitution through, or b) Alexander III doesn't tear it up and pushes it through instead (unlikely but a possibility).

 

[David T]

What Alexander II proposed (on Count Loris-Melikov's recommendation) was a *consultative* not legislative body--a commission partly elected by the zemtsvos which would make recommendations to the Council of State. This was not really comparable either to the Imperial German Reichstag or even the post-1905 Duma (let alone to a genuinely democratic parliament). I don't doubt that bringing elected representatives into even a purely advisory body would be a step forward, but I think the significance of it can be exaggerated. What Alexander II had agreed to was not really a constitution in the sense of anything limiting his own authority.

 

[mcdnab]

The great big if?
Firstly Alexander II was just as committed to the autocacy as his son and grandson were.
The difference was that he had come to the belief that the only way to crush opposition was reform in a minor way.
From 1880 the Emperor had commissioned Melikov to look at administrative measures to reform the government of the Empire - these commissions rather than a constitution or dramatic political reforms were what were on the Emperors desk when he was assasinated.
At best you could argue the reforms proposed might have been adopted through the late 1880s perhaps resulting in a further political reform in the 1890s had Alexander II lived.
At worst they would never go far enough and anti government groups opposed to the autocracy would continue to grow in strength and continue to undertake what we would consider terrorist acts against the government (effectively the monarchy)

 

[Kellan Sullivan]

So an Alexandrian constitution is just as dead in the water as its Catherinian predecessor?

 

[Aley]

It should be noted that the court in absentia hosted terrorists before the assault, one of the main accusations was that Alexander: "Improving the life of the Russian people, reduces the likelihood of revolution." So they took the time before he is no longer improved.

 

[Razgriz 2K9]

So an Alexandrian constitution is just as dead in the water as its Catherinian predecessor?

I don't even think a constitution was even in the cards as far as Russia was concerned. Each and every Russian monarch was committed to autocracy from the start of Empire to the end of it.