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The term comes from the Russian word думать, dumat, i.e., "to think", in relation to Duma's advisory functions for early Russian rulers.
The State Duma (Russian: Gosudarstvennaya Duma) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of parliament. Under Russia's 1993 constitution, there are 450 deputies of the State Duma (Article 95), each elected to a term of four years (Article 96). Russian citizens at least 21 years old are eligible to run for the Duma (Article 97).
Duma was an advisory council to the grand princes of Kievan Rus' and the tsars of the Imperial Russia.
Under the pressure of the Russian Revolution of 1905, Tsar Nicholas II issued the October ManifestoThe October Manifesto was issued by Emperor Nicholas II of Russia under the influence of Count Sergei Witte as a response to the Russian Revolution of 1905. The Manifesto pledged to grant certain concessions to the Russian people, including freedom of rel, which announced the basic human freedoms, including the freedom of assemblyFreedom of assembly is the freedom to associate with, or organize any groups, gatherings, clubs, or organizations that one wishes. Freedom of assembly is a key right in democratic countries, as it allows its citizens to form or join any political party, s, and provided for the formation of the State Duma.
However, Nicholas II was determined to retain his autocratic power. Just before the creation of Duma in May 1906Events January 8 Landslide in Haverstraw, New York kills 20 January 31 Earthquake in Ecuador (8. 6 in Richter scale) February 11 Pope Pius X publishes the encyclical Vehementer nos''. February 15 Representatives of the Labour Representation Committee in t, the Tsar issued the Fundamental LawsThe first Russian constitution known as the Fundamental Laws was enacted on April 23, 1906, on the eve of the opening of the first State Duma. It declared in part the autocracy of the Russian Emperor, including Empreror's supremacy over the Law, the Churc that contradicted the October Manifesto in several important ways. It stated in part that Tsar's ministerA minister can mean several things: A government minister is a politician who heads a government ministry A minister of religion is a member of the clergy A minister is the rank of diplomat directly below ambassador Titles.s could not be appointed by and were not responsible to the Duma, thus denying representative government at the executive level. Furthermore, the Tsar has the power to dismiss the Duma and announce new elections whenever he wishes.
Election for the First Duma, which opened in July 1906, returned a significant bloc of moderate socialists and both liberal parties who demanded further reforms. It was dissolved within ten weeks.
The Second Duma in February 1907Events January events January 6 Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for working class children in Rome Casa dei Bambini in San Lorenzo). January 14 An earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica kills more than a 1,000 January 23 Charles Curtis was equally short-lived. Using emergency power, Prime Minister Petr StolypinPetr Stolypin Petr Arkadyevich Stolypin ( April 14 (April 2 Old Style) 1862 September 18 (September 5 Old Style) 1911) served as Nicholas II's Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) from 1906 to 1911. He became known for his heavy-handed at changed the electoral law and gave greater electoral value to the votes of nobility and landowner s. This ensured the Third Duma would be dominated by gentry, landowners and businessmen.
Between 1907 and 1912, the Octobrist-dominated Third Duma ran its course. Being more oriented towards conservative positions, it was able to last its full five-years term. The assassination of Stolypin and increasingly reactionary policies of the Tsar and his State Council further weakened the significance of the Third Duma.
The Fourth Duma of 1912– 1917 was also of limited political influence; however, it played a role in the events of 1917, partly cooperating with the provisional government. It was dissolved in the course of the Russian revolution.