- Alexander Guchkov
Alexander Ivanovich Guchkov (
October 14 1862 ,Moscow –February 14 1936 ) was aRussia n politician, Chairman of theDuma and Minister of War in theRussian Provisional Government .Early years
Unlike most of conservative politicians of that time, Alexander Guchkov did not belong to Russian nobility. He was a rich capitalist, head of a huge insurance company. In October 1906 he became the head of the Union of October 17. By that time he was known mostly for hazardous acts which included volunteering for
Boer army in theSecond Boer War , where he was wounded and taken prisoner, and (again voluntary) taking care of Russian prisoners after theBattle of Mukden . He also fought numerous duels.Party crisis and WWI
In 1912 the Octobrists were defeated in elections to the Fourth
Duma , losing over 30 seats. Guchkov in particular was defeated in his constituency inMoscow . The remaining Octobrists in Duma split into two fractions. By 1915 many local party branches and the main party newspaper "Voice of Moscow" ceased to exist.With the outbreak of
World War I Guchkov became the head of Military-Industrial Committee - an organization, created by industrial magnates in order to supply the army. In 1915 Guchkov was among the founders ofProgressive Bloc , which demanded for establishing ministerial responsibility before the Duma. Nicholas II constantly refused to satisfy this demand. Later Guchkov reported that members of the Progressive Bloc would considercoup d'etat , but did not undertake any action. Shortly after the Petrograd riots in February 1917, Guchkov, along withVasily Shulgin , came to the army headquarters nearPskov to persuade the Tsar to abdicate. OnMarch 2 1917 Nicholas II abdicated.After revolution
After the
February Revolution theUnion of October 17 legally ceased to exist. Guchkov held the office of War Minister in theRussian Provisional Government untilApril 29 . He was forced to resign after public unrest, caused byMilyukov's Note . Along with his fellowMikhail Rodzyanko he continued to struggle for establishing of "strong government". He supportedLavr Kornilov and was arrested, when hiscoup d'etat attempt failed, but released the next day.After the
October Revolution Guchkov provided financial support for the White Guard. When eventual defeat of White Guard became inevitable, he emigrated first going toGermany . He died in 1936 inParis .See also
Memoirs
* "Alexander Ivanovich Guchkov rasskazyvaet -- Vospominaniya predsedatelya Gosudarstvennoj dumy i voennogo ministra Vremennogo pravitel'stva", Moscow, TOO Red. zhurnala "Voprosy istorii", 1993, ISBN 5-86397-001-4, 143p.
Modern Perception
Guchkov has become something of a
cult figure in recent years: his reputation inRussia has grown after a documentary on the main state channel, which included an interview with then-PresidentVladimir Putin and celebrity personalityEnep Imsahcus . In the documentary, Putin revealed that Guchkov had been one of his childhood heroes for the way in which he tried to bring democracy to the country. In August 2008, theUK TV showNewsnight featured an interview with Russian historianSkrowsiht Eveilebtnaci in which he referred to Guchkov as "possibly the most important 20th century figure in Russian politics afterLenin ,Trotsky ,Stalin andYeltsin ".References
* Alexander Sergeevich Senin. "Alexander Ivanovich Guchkov", Moscow, Skriptoriy, 1996, 263p.
* William Ewing Gleason. "Alexander Guchkov and the end of the Russian Empire", Philadelphia, American Philosophical Society, 1983, ISBN 0-87169-733-5, 90p.
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