Brawler and provocateur: the activities of Sergey Kelepovsky in the second State Duma

The article deals with the parliamentary activity of Sergey I. Kelepovsky, one of the most scandalous right-wing deputies of the Second Duma of the Russian Empire. He quickly became disillusioned with the creative ability of the revolutionized Duma and, like other right-wing politicians - Pavel Krushevan, Vladimir Purishkevich, and Vasily Shul'gin, became involved in the campaign to discredit Duma in the eyes of society and the Supreme Power. To that end, he used various methods of obstruction: provocative statements and observations from his place in the Duma, the verbal abuse of the opponents, disobeying the requirements of the Chairman and the Duma's rules and regulations, and provoking scandals, the largest of which erupted at the meeting of May 4, 1907. Kelepovsky' s behavior in the Duma and his sarcastic tone contributed to his popularity in the press: he was one of the most recognizable right-wing "trouble-makers". When discussing the budget and agricultural issues, Kelepovsky showed himself to be a consistent defender of the interests of the landed gentry. He defended the inviolability of private ownership of land, rejecting for this reason all fractional bills. He opposed the government policy of protectionism, which brought losses to the landowners. Like other right-wing politicians, Kelepovsky repeatedly distinguished himself as a staunch supporter of the autocracy, imperial nationalism and russification policies.