Ivan Goremykin | |
|---|---|
| Иван Горемыкин | |
 Ivan Goremykin,c. 1906 | |
| Prime Minister of Russia | |
| In office 5 May 1906 – 21 July 1906 | |
| Monarch | Nicholas II |
| Preceded by | Sergei Witte |
| Succeeded by | Pyotr Stolypin |
| In office 12 February 1914 – 2 February 1916 | |
| Monarch | Nicholas II |
| Preceded by | Vladimir Kokovtsov |
| Succeeded by | Boris Stürmer |
| Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia | |
| In office 27 October 1895 – 1 November 1899 | |
| Monarch | Nicholas II |
| Chairman of Committee of Ministers | Ivan Durnovo |
| Preceded by | Ivan Durnovo |
| Succeeded by | Dmitry Sergeyevich Sipyagin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ivan Logginovich Goremykin (1839-11-08)8 November 1839 |
| Died | 24 December 1917(1917-12-24) (aged 78) |
| Cause of death | Homicide |
| Alma mater | Imperial School of Jurisprudence |
| Occupation | Politician |
Ivan Logginovich Goremykin (Russian:Ива́н Лóггинович Горемы́кин; 8 November 1839 – 24 December 1917) was a Russian politician who served as theprime minister of theRussian Empire in 1906 and again from 1914 to 1916, duringWorld War I. He was the last person to have the civil rank ofActive Privy Councillor, 1st class. During his time in government, Goremykin pursued conservative policies.
Goremykin was born on 8 November 1839 into a noble family. In 1860 he completed studies at theImperial School of Jurisprudence and became a lawyer inSaint Petersburg. In theSenate, Goremykin became responsible for agriculture inCongress Poland. In 1866 he was appointed as vice governor inPłock and in 1869 inKielce. In 1891 he was appointed as deputyminister of justice, considered an expert on the "peasant question".
Within a year he moved to theMinistry of the Interior, becoming Minister from 1895 to 1899. A self-described "man of the old school" who viewed theTsar as the "anointed one, the rightful sovereign", Goremykin was a loyal supporter ofNicholas II asautocrat and accordingly pursued conservative policy. He was apparently well liked by the EmpressAlexandra (in 1894 he was appointed as senator; in 1896 as Actual Privy Councillor and became a member of theImperial Orthodox Palestine Society). In 1897Vladimir Chertkov, a leading member of theTolstoyan movement, was banned by Goremykin or his ministry.[1]
While heading the Interior Ministry he submitted a proposal to the tsar advocating administrative reform and the expansion of thezemstvo program and representation within the existing zemstvos. Faced with opposition to the program, he left the position in 1899. In April 1906,Sergei Witte, a reformist, was succeeded by Goremykin. In theRussian Constitution of 1906 the tsar, regretting his 'moment of weakness' when signing theOctober Manifesto, retained the title of autocrat and maintained his unique dominating position in relation to theRussian Church.[2]Goremykin's unwavering opposition to the political reform demanded by theFirst Duma left him unable to work with that body and he resigned in July 1906 after a conflict aboutministerial responsibility and rejecting radical agrarian reforms proposed by Duma. He was replaced by his Minister of Interior, the younger and more forcefulPyotr Stolypin.
Called back to service by the tsar, he again served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) from April 1914 to February 1916.Vladimir Kokovtsov was replaced by the decrepit and absent-minded Goremykin, andPyotr Bark as Minister of Finance. Seventy-five years of age, a conservative, and a life-long bureaucrat, he was, in his own words, 'pulled like a winter coat out of mothballs', to lead the government. The hostility expressed toward him by members of both the State Duma and theCouncil of Ministers greatly impaired the effectiveness of his government. When Nicholas II decided to take direct command of the army, Goremykin andAlexander Krivoshein begged the tsar not to lead the army and leave the capital. All the ministers realized that the change would put the empress andRasputin in charge and threatened to resign.[3][4] Goremykin urged the Council to endorse the decision. When they refused, Goremykin told the tsar that he was not fitted and asked to be replaced with "a man of more modern views". He held a hostile attitude towards the Imperial Duma and theProgressive Bloc. In January 1916 Rasputin was opposed to the plan to send the old Goremykin away,[5] and he told Goremykin it was not right not to convene the Duma, as all were trying to cooperate; one must show them a little confidence.[6] His wish for retirement was granted at the beginning of February 1916, when he was replaced byBoris Stürmer. Stürmer was not opposed to the convening of the Duma, as Goremykin had been, and he would launch more liberal and conciliatory policies.
After theFebruary Revolution in 1917, he was arrested and interrogated before the "Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry for the Investigation of Illegal Acts by Ministers and Other Responsible Persons of the Czarist Regime". In MayAlexander Kerensky agreed to his release, on condition that he retired to hisdacha inSochi. On 24 December 1917 he was murdered in a robbery raid, together with his wife, his daughter, and son-in-law.
Goremykin's conservatism and inability to function in asemi-parliamentary system made him largely unsuitable for the position of head of government during the last years of Imperial Russia. Goremykin was despised by parliamentarians and revolutionaries and personally desired only to retire, and the ineffectiveness of his last government contributed to the instability and ultimate downfall of the Romanov dynasty.
Media related toIvan Goremykin at Wikimedia Commons| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Minister of Interior 1895–1899 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Russia 5 May 1906 – 21 July 1906 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Russia 12 February 1914 (N.S.) – 2 February 1916 | Succeeded by |
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