Editing Constitutional Democratic Party (section)

== Radical origins (1905–1906) ==
The Constitutional Democratic Party was formed in Moscow on 12–18 October 1905 at the height of the [[Russian Revolution of 1905]] when [[Tsar]] [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]] was forced to sign the [[October Manifesto]] granting basic [[civil liberties]]. The Kadets were to the immediate left of the [[Octobrists]], another new formed party organized at the same time. Unlike the Octobrists, who were committed to [[constitutional monarchy]] from the start, the Kadets were at first ambiguous on the subject, demanding [[universal suffrage]] (including women's suffrage) and a [[Constituent Assembly]] that would determine the country's form of government. This radicalism was despite the fact 60% of Kadets were nobles.<ref>Orlando Figes, The People's Tragedy</ref> The Kadets were one of the parties invited by the reform-minded Prime Minister [[Sergei Witte]] to join his cabinet in October–November 1905, but the negotiations broke down over the Kadets' radical demands and Witte's refusal to drop notorious reactionaries like [[Petr Nikolayevich Durnovo]] from the [[Sergei Witte's Cabinet|cabinet]].

With some socialist and revolutionary parties boycotting the election to the [[State Duma (Russian Empire)#First Duma|First Duma]] in February 1906, the Kadets received 37% of the urban vote and won over 30% of the seats in the Duma. They interpreted their electoral win as a mandate and allied with the left-leaning peasant [[Trudovik]] faction, forming a majority in the Duma. When their declaration of legislative intent was rejected by the government at the start of the parliamentary session in April, they adopted a radical oppositionist line, denouncing the government at every opportunity. On 9 July, the government announced that the Duma was dysfunctional and dissolved it. In response, 120 Kadet and 80 Trudovik and [[Russian Social Democratic Labor Party|Social Democrat]] deputies went to in [[Vyborg]], [[Grand Duchy of Finland|Finland]] (and thus beyond the reach of Russian police) and responded with the [[Vyborg Manifesto]] (or the "Vyborg Appeal"), written by Miliukov. In the manifesto, they called for passive resistance, non-payment of taxes and draft avoidance. The appeal failed to have an effect on the population at large and proved both ineffective and counterproductive, leading to a ban on its authors, including the entire Kadet leadership, from participation in future Dumas. This was further accentuated by the force of the tsar trying to control and deteriorate the power of the Duma.

It was not until later in 1906, with the revolution in retreat, that the Kadets abandoned revolutionary and [[Republicanism|republican]] aspirations and declared their support for a constitutional monarchy. The government remained suspicious of the Kadets until the fall of the monarchy in 1917. Finnish [[Liberalism|liberal]] politician and professor of jurisdiction and politology [[Leo Mechelin]] was expelled 1903–1904 when the Kadets were preparing to form a party. Mechelin cooperated with them and wrote them a liberal constitution for Russia to be enforced when they would get into power. At the time of Vyborg Manifesto, Mechelin was already the leader of the Finnish government, or "Mechelin's senate" (1905–1908), which implemented the [[Universal suffrage|universal right to vote]] and freedoms of [[Freedom of expression|expression]], [[Freedom of the press|press]], [[Freedom of assembly|congregation]] and [[Freedom of association|association]].