The use of public organizations for political purposes by the liberal opposition (on the example of the Ilyinskoe agricultural community of Vladimirskaya province, 1905-1906)

The purpose of the Ilyinskoe Agricultural Community (IAS) consisted in improving the prosperity of the local population. Along with the activation of the political life in the Russian Empire, the community became controlled by the men with the liberal and political convictions. In the near future almost all of them became members of the Party of the Peoples' Freedom (Constitutional and Democratic Party). As they tried to gain popularity amongst the peasants, the local administration treated their actions as the deviation from the IAS purposes. The party was headed by A.P. Groesser, former lieutenant of the Imperial Guard Cavalry and in the future - the chairman of Vladimir regions' council. He tried to appear in the eyes of poorly educated peasants as a direct messenger to the Tsar himself with the purpose of leading their opinions to inevitability of westernization reforms of all the system of state laws. A.P. Groesser rushly and without restraint wanted to agitate the audience for his ideals instead of carefully using the IAS as an educational and conversational board, which option could have helped the audience to understand the essence of western practices. The skyrocketing activity of left-wing radicals in all subjects of the Empire put the local administration in the state of scrutiny. The governor hindered all the activities of IAS using unlawful methods. With the help of local conservative low-level officials he convinced the central government in extremistic, revolutionairy tendencies that IAS was engulfed by because of the liberals. The constitutionalists and democrats could not efficiently oppose him because they were led by stereotypes and prejudices. The campaign in liberal press chose the delusional way of "revolution simulation" instead of finding the possibility of the real dialogue with the central and local administration.