Alexander Trepov

Alexander Trepov, December 21, 1897

Alexander Fyodorovitch Trepov (Russian: Александр Фёдорович Трепов, translit. Aleksandr Fodorovich Trepov; 30 September 1862, Kiev – 10 November 1928, Nice) was the Prime Minister of the Russian Empire from 23 November 1916 until 9 January 1917. He was conservative, a monarchist, a member of the Russian Assembly, and an advocate of moderate and sane reforms, and opposed to the influence of Grigori Rasputin.

Biography

Early life

Alexander was one of the four sons of general Fyodor Trepov (senior), who was involved in the suppression of the January Uprising in 1864 and between 1873 and 1878 the mayor of St Petersburg.

Alexander was educated in His Majesty's Page Corps. He worked in the Ministry of the Interior (1889–1892), was elected Marshal of Nobility of Pereiaslavl Uezd (1892–1895), and assistant State Secretary (1899).

Alexander was the brother of Dmitri Feodorovich Trepov, in 1905/1906 the real ruler of the country,[1] involved in the repression following the Revolution of 1905 discontent. Alexander was appointed as a member of the special commission to draft a plan for a State Duma, according to the rescript of February 18, 1905, and the Manifesto of October 17.[2]

POWs constructing the Kirov Railway (1916)

Trepov became senator in the Governing Senate in 1906. In an unknown year he was sent abroad to study the parliamentary systems of Western Europe.[3] In 1914 he was appointed in the State Council. Trepov was appointed Transport Minister (Ministry of Imperial Railways) on November 12, 1915, and Grigori Rasputin was grieved.[4] He developed the Kirov Railway, constructed with a number of war prisoners, to improve the transport connections between the ice-free port of Murmansk with the Eastern Front during World War I.

Prime Minister

Alexander Fyodorovitch Trepov in 1916

On 8 November Boris Stürmer (pro-peace) was dismissed as Prime Minister/Minister of Foreign Affairs, to the rejoicing of the Duma. On 9 November Alexandra proposed to appoint Ivan Shcheglovitov on Foreign Affairs, but he seemed to be unacceptable. On 10 November 1916 the bellicose Trepov was appointed new Prime Minister,[5] promising to promote a parliamentary system, but keeping his position of Transport Minister. Because of the shortage in food in the big cities Aleksei Aleksandrovich Bobrinsky, the Minister of Agriculture had to give up his post. On 17 November Nikolai Pokrovsky was appointed on Foreign Affairs.[6] According to Orlando Figes it was the Russian liberals final opportunity to 'make their peace' with the government.[5]

Trepov was a new, 'modern day Stolypin', and was determined to win over the more moderate Duma politicians by making concessions; Pavel Milyukov and Alexander Guchkov were ready to accept his gesture (and possibly a position in his cabinet), but the more radical and socialist Duma members remained determined to bring down the government.[5]

Trepov informed Alexander Protopopov that he wished him to give up his position in the Ministry of the Interior and take over that of Commerce, but Protopopov refused. Trepov had made the dismissal of Protopopov an indispensable condition of his accepting the presidency of the Council,[7] Protopopov being a 'protege of Rasputin'.[8] and supposedly having mental problems. The Tsar agreed on the 23rd, but the Tsarina tried to save Protopopov in his influential position in the Ministry of the Interior.

On 27 November both Trepov and Makarov (and Alexandra) travelled to Stavka. Trepov threatened to resign on the next day. (On 28 November the first German air attack on London could be watched.) On 29 November/12 December the German Chancellor, Bethmann-Hollweg, in a speech in the Reichstag, offered to open negotiations with the Entente in a neutral country. On 2 December, on his appearance in the Imperial Duma, Trepov revealed France and England promised Russia Constantinople and the Bosporus,[9] but was loudly hissed at by the Socialists.[10] The deputies shouted "down with the Ministers! Down with Protopopov!"[11] Pokrovsky said that Russia would never sign a peace treaty with the Central Powers, which caused a storm of applause. On 7 December the cabinet demanded that Protopopov should go to the Emperor and resign, but at the request of the Tsar, his wife, Anna Vyrubova and Rasputin combined the pro-peace Protopopov stayed in his job.[7]

Rasputin

Trepov having failed to eliminate Protopopov tried to bribe Rasputin.[12] With the help of general A.A. Mosolov,[13] his brother-in-law, Trepov offered a substantial amount of money, a bodyguard and a house to Rasputin, when he would leave politics.[14] Trepov had offered Rasputin 200,000 roubles in cash to return to Siberia and never again involve himself in politics. Rasputin refused the offer and informed Alexandra. On 13 December Rasputin warned against the influence of Trepov.[15] Alexandra reacted with a letter to her husband against Trepov.[15] She hated Trepov and Makarov;[16] the Tsarina even wanted Trepov hanged.[5] Promoting the war against Germany had to go on. Woodrow Wilson planned to bring the United States into the war, when the Germans attempted to negotiate peace with the allies. As a result and in short Alexandra's and Rasputin's standing and prestige in society fell, and led to the final determined conspiracy by Prince Yusupov, and Grand Dukes Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich and Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich to have him murdered[7] in the hope stopping Alexandra interference in politics.

Post-Premier

On 16 December 1916 the Imperial Duma was closed for Christmas until 28 December (which is 29 December until January 9, 1917 N.S.). On 17 December Rasputin was murdered. On 29 December a hesitating prince Nikolai Golitsyn became the successor of Trepov, who was allowed to retire on the 27th. Also Pavel Ignatieff, Alexander Makarov and Dmitry Shuvayev were replaced.

In the seventeen months of the `Tsarina's rule', from September 1915 to February 1917, Russia had four Prime Ministers, five Ministers of the Interior, three Foreign Ministers, three War Ministers, two Ministers of Transport and four Ministers of Agriculture. This "ministerial leapfrog", as it came to be known, not only removed competent men from power, but also disorganized the work of government since no one remained long enough in office to master their responsibilities.[17]

According to Bernard Pares Trepov was probably appointed as a curator at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, where he met the Tsar on February 1, 1917.

After the October revolution he was arrested by the Cheka. Trepov collaborated with Count Paul von Benckendorff to protect the Imperial family. From autumn 1918 to January 1919 he led in Helsingfors the "Special Committee for Russian in Finland". In 1920's Trepov emigrated to France from where he supported the White Army. He became president of the "Union des Organisations monarchiques russes". In 1921 he and his brother-in-law Alexander Mosolov participated in the "Congrès monarchiste russe", organized in Bad Reichenhall.

He was buried at the Russian Orthodox Cemetery, Nice.

References

Bibliography

Other

External links

Media related to Alexander Trepov at Wikimedia Commons

Political offices
Preceded by
Boris Stürmer		 Prime Minister of Russia
10 November 1916 O.S – 27 December 1916 		Succeeded by
Nikolai Golitsyn
Preceded by
Sergei Rukhlov		 Minister of Transport (Russia)
30 October 1915 - 27 December 1916 		Succeeded by
Eduard Kriger-Voinovsky
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