A.N. Kuropatkin and preparation of the Statute on military service in Finland in 1898–1899

Abstract

The article deals with the bureaucratic procedures for the adoption of a new Statute on military service in Finland, the discussion of the text and the search for ways to issue the Statute by-passing the current legislation on the procedure for adopting laws in the Grand Duchy. The author focuses on roles of the Minister of War A.N. Kuropatkin and Nicholas II in the process. It is shown how the personal ambitions of representatives of the Russian bureaucracy influenced the preparation of the Statute. It is concluded that the inability to adopt the Statute in accordance with the current legal norms led to the publication of the Manifesto of 1899, which negatively affected the relations of the Russian Empire with Finland .Based on the analysis of correspondence between A.N. Kuropatkin and E.V. Frisch, it is shown what significance the Minister of War’s ignorance of legal issues had when adopting the Statute. E.V. Frisch’s attempts to return the Statute adoption process to the previous legal framework were not successful. It is considered how the position of Nicholas II accelerated the adoption of the Manifesto on February 3, 1899. A conclusion is made that the bureaucratic approach to solving the issue affected the development of the conflict with the Finnish Parliament.