Liberals and members of "black hundreds": lost opportunities of the Russian autocracy

Relationships between the black-hundred right-monarchic organizations and liberal parties are considered in the article on the historical material of the beginning of the 20 th century. The author analyzes tactical and strategic aims of parties, considers their activity in the context of the general political situation in the Russian Empire during the considered period. Special attention is paid to the problem of attitude of the right-wing and liberal parties to the body of national representation, the State Duma, as to the most painful question of political modernization which has begun in the result of the first Russian revolution. On the basis of the carried-out analysis the conclusion that the Russian autocracy had a chance to avoid a political disaster of 1917 in the case of finding a compromise between moderate representatives of both political trends is drawn.