Legal status of the trade unions in the Russian empire in 1905 – 1917

Abstract

Summary. The purpose of the article is the study of the trade unions legal status in the Russian Empire in 1905 – 1917, which was the form of the employees struggle for their socio-economic rights. The methodology of the research: the adherence to the principles of objectivity and historicism contributed to the consistent disclosure of the preconditions, the content and the consequences of the trade union law introduction in Tsarist Russia. The use of the comparative historical, historical legal methods made it possible to trace the influence of the legal component on the history of the trade union movement development during the specified period. The scientific novelty consists in a detailed historical and legal analysis of the content of the trade union legislation in the Russian Empire, its positive sides, the drawbacks and prospects of a practical application in the specified period. Conclusions. For the first time, there was done an in-depth analysis of the legal acts, regulating the legal status of the trade unions in the Russian Empire in 1905 – 1917. At the end of the ХІХth and the early XXth centuries, the labor movement was intensified due to the difficult financial situation of the workers, their political and legal empowerment in the territory of the Russian Empire. The outbreak of the First Russian Revolution made the authorities give the legal status to the trade unions: The Temporary Rules enshrined the employees right to create the professional organizations to protect their socio-economic interests. The legislation contained certain legal drawbacks and contradictions. The government's desire to maintain control over the trade union movements was manifested in a number of the restrictions: a number of categories of the workers were deprived of their right to participate in the trade unions, the functions of the latter were restricted, and the legal order established by them gave the authorities the considerable opportunities for the abuse. However, while the Russian trade union law was less progressive than that of other European countries, it was a major breakthrough in the civil society development in the Empire. Despite the proclaimed temporary nature, the above-mentioned legal act was in effect until 1917.