Left-wing deputies of the II State Duma from Kostroma and Yaroslavl provinces

The article deals with the influence of the left-wing sentiments among the electorate of the Kostroma and Yaroslavl provinces on the election campaign and the activities of the deputies of the State Duma of the second convocation. The relevance of the research is determined by the need to study the eventful history of the State Duma with its extensive experience and traditions for better understanding of the modern Russian Parliament’s work. The role of the provincial authorities during the elections is characterized, and an attempt is made to identify how the socio-political situation, economic situation, and living conditions in the said provinces influenced the preferences of the Kostroma and Yaroslavl public. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that the issue in question has never been specifically studied before, while provincial context and the activities of the Kostroma and Yaroslavl deputes are poorly covered in historical literature. The author seeks to identify to what extent the people’s deputies expressed the left-wing interests of their voters in the Parliament. It is concluded that in 1907 the representatives of the left parties - Cadets, People’s Socialists and Social Democrats - were elected to the II Duma from the Kostroma and Yaroslavl provinces. And although the provincial tsarist authorities tried to prevent this outcome of the elections, the local population consciously voted for the left. The most valuable sources for the research were the provincial newspapers containing interesting and contradictory information, various points of view, and rich factual material about the deputies’ election campaign and the parliamentary work.