Constitutional Democrats
| President | Pavel Miliukov |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 12, 1905 |
| Dissolved | December 12, 1917 |
| Headquarters | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| Newspaper | Rech |
| Ideology |
Parliamentarism Constitutionalism Political pluralism Social liberalism |
| Political position | Centre |
| International affiliation | None |
| Colours | Azure and white |
| Slogan | The ability to work for the benefit of the Motherland (Russian: умение и труд на благо Родине) |
The Constitutional Democratic Party (Russian: Конституционно-демократическая партия Konstitutsionno-Demokraticheskaya Partiya), also called Constitutional Democrats, formally Party of People's Freedom, was a liberal political party in the Russian Empire, encompassing constitutional monarchists and right-wing republicans. Party members were called Kadets (or Cadets), from the abbreviation K-D of the party name (Конституционная Демократическая партия in Russian).Konstantin Kavelin's and Boris Chicherin's writings formed the theoretical basis of the party's platform. Historian Pavel Miliukov was the party's leader throughout its existence.
The Kadets' base of support were intellectuals and professionals; university professors and lawyers were particularly prominent within the party. A large number of Kadet party members were veterans of the zemstvo, local councils.
The Constitutional Democratic Party formed from the merger of several liberal groupings: the Union of Liberation, the Union of Zemstvo Constitutionalists, and the Union of Unions, the organization of bourgeois professionals and intellectuals, including teachers, lawyers, writers, physicians, and engineers.
The Kadets' liberal economic program favored the workers' right to an eight-hour day. The Kadets "were unwaveringly committed to full citizenship for all of Russia's minorities" and supported Jewish emancipation. The party drew significant support from Jews and Volga Germans, and a significant number of each group were active party members.
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