The author analyzes the activities of those liberal deputies of the first Duma, who occupied a middle position between the Сadets and the Octobrists. The author concludes that they managed to consolidate their position in “big politics” at that time. They managed in some cases to influ-ence the course of events in the Duma. During its work, they tested their views on reforms in Russia, as well as the tactical principles of their own political parties.

The author analyzes the first stage of the formation of political organizations of Russian liberal centrists (between cadets and Octobrists) in January-April 1906, during the election campaign for the first State Duma. Conclusions of the article are based on materials from periodicals and archival sources. The author focuses not only on Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also on other regions of the country, where the mentioned parties, unions, clubs were formed (Partiya demokraticheskih reform, Klub nezavisimyh, Umerenno-progressivnaya partiya, Partiya «svobodomyslyashchih», Demokraticheskij soyuz konstitucionalistov-demokratov, Soyuz mirnogo obnovleniya). The article attempts to explain the phenomenon of liberal centrism.

The article analyzes the participation of the centrist liberals in the election campaign to the Second State Duma (January–February 1907), as well as the activities of their representatives in this Duma (February 20 – June 2, 1907). The author notes the special activity of the leaders of the Partiya mirnogo obnovleniya in January-February 1907. Attention is drawn to the fact that the ideas of the centrist liberals were popular in the Russian province. At the same time, the author identifies a set of reasons that did not allow them to strengthen their positions in the second Duma. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that the left-wing radicals (V.I.Lenin), as well as the Cadets and Octobrists, treated the centrist liberals as their political competitors.

The article reflects the extra-parliamentary activity of progressives from June 1907 to the outbreak of the First World War. The author focuses on the journalism of progressives, analyzes their attitude to Stolypin's reforms. She also analyzes their contribution to the development of higher education and their participation in public organizations. The article discusses the process of consolidation of progressives and ideological evolution of the “middle” current in Russian liberalism. At the same time, the author records the preservation of basic settings of the liberal centrism. The article concludes that the positions of progressives was strengthened by the start of the 4th Duma.

The article reflects the characteristic features of the activities of progressives in the the 3rd and 4th Duma. The author also pays special attention to the extra-parliamentary activities of centrist liberals during the First world war, assessing them as a real political force in pre-revolutionary Russia.

The article deals with the participation of centrist liberals in the events of the Great Russian Revolution of 1917. It is noted that many of them left their mark in the "chronicle" of 1917 as state and public figures, publicists. The author focuses on the Russian Radical Democratic Party (RRDP), which is characterized as the "final point" in the development of the centrist trend in Russian liberalism of the early twentieth century. On the basis of publications of the newspaper "Otechestvo" examines the views of party ideologues on the causes and nature of the global revolutionary transformations of 1917, are given their evaluation of the activities of the Provisional government and the main political forces, the forecast for the future of Russia. The article summarizes the development of liberal centrism and emphasizes the relevance of its historical experience.

The article traces the origins of the centrist trend in Russian liberalism in the early 20th century. The author analyzes the views and activities of some leaders of this trend throughout the years 1860–1905. The conclusion is substantiated that the process of formation of the liberal center has accelerated since the end of the 19th century.

The article presents a "portrait against the background of epoch": the profile of V.D.Kuz'min-Karavaev (1859–1927), military justice officer, the active participant of the Zemstvo movement, member of the 1st and the 2nd State Duma, participant of events that took place in 1917, and the active personality of the Russian émigré community abroad. By his political opinions he be-longed to the centrist current of the Russian liberalism (conditionally speaking, he occupied position between the Constitutional-Democrats and the Octyabrists and a peculiar position in the Russian multiparty system of the early 20th century. In 1906–1907 Kuz'min-Karavaev was one of the Democratic Reforms party, a member of the Progressive Party Central Committee in 1912. Kuz'min-Karavaev's position on the most important issues of the Russian life and perception of his ideas by coevals are reconstructed and characterized on the basis of various sources.

The article offers the first comprehensive analysis of Prince V.M.Golitsyn’s attitudes to the Russian revolution. V.M.Golitsyn was the Mayor of Moscow and an active participant of revolutionary events in 1904–1905. Subsequently Golitsyn remained to be a person of influence in the liberal movement. In fact, he took the side of centrist current in this movement and took up position between Constitutional Democrats and Octobrists. As the President of Moscow club of independents in 1906–1908 and a member of the Progressist Party in 1912 Golitsyn supported trends to unification of the “peaceful renewal of Russia” adherents, substantiated necessity of creative efforts undertaken by the “moderate” opposition and aimed at building of state governed by the rule of law. Golitsyn thought that spheres of education and culture and development of local self-government should be the top priorities. According to Golitsyn, revolution in Russia was the expected and logical result of the autocracy. The revolution developed for a long time and did not confine itself to events of 1905–1907 and 1917. Golitsyn’s opinions on the problem are reconstructed on the basis of his diary (which, to a considerable extent, remains to be unpublished) for the period from the early 1900s to1918.

The article presents “the portrait against the background of the epoch”: A.S.Posnikov was a major authority in economics, publicist, organizer of higher education and pedagogue, public figure and politician, one of the leaders of the centrist (between the Constitutional Democrats and the Octobrists) current in the Russian Liberalism of the early 20th century. The particular attention is paid to contribution of Posnikov and his followers to elaboration of the “new Liberalism” ideas, of the “mixed economy” model for Russia, of innovative approach to problems of party building. For the first time Posnikov’s activities during his tenure as the Main Land Committee chairman under the Provisional government are characterized on the basis of archive sources and publicist writings and additional information on Posnikov’s life after the October revolution is adduced.

The article is devoted to a poorly studied period of life of M.M.Kovalevski (1851−1916), the distinguished scientist and public figure. This period is connected with Kovalevski’s staying in intern condition in Karlsbad (Austro-Hungary) from July, 1914, to February, 1915. Analysis of various sources allows not only making up gaps in Kovalevski’s biography. The analysis also enables to elucidate difficulties experienced by Russians who happened to find themselves in a similar condition at the outbreak of the WWI. That is very important because issues like adaptation of Russian prisoners to new severe conditions, their everyday life, creation and testing of mechanism of prisoners and interns release and repatriation are yet poorly investigated.

The newspaper «Nedelja», published in Czechoslovakia in 1929−1930, is an important source of information on the economic adaptation of Russian emigrants in this country. Analysis of the publications of the newspaper allows us to consider the basic directions and ways of organizing economic activity of Russian emigrants in Czechoslovakia, to evaluate the nature and forms of mutual aid, characteristics and extent of their participation in the economy of Czechoslovak Republic and other countries.

The author examines contribution of early 20th century Russian scientists and publicists who belonged to the Liberal-Centrists to making of the business social responsibility conception and characterizes main sources that prompted these people to accept the public mission of entrepreneurs. The author also analyzes these people’s notions of distribution of roles in the sphere of social responsibility within participants of «triangle» consisting of the power, business and society. The author’s attention is focused on persons who formed the circle that emerged around the «Vestnik Evropy» magazine and the «Russkie Vedomosti» newspaper and some other periodicals. The particular attention is devoted to views of V.G.Yarotsky and A.M.Rykachev whose names are emerging from the historical oblivion nowadays. Original and innovative character and relevance of the Russian Liberal-Centrists' opinions on importance of businessmen in Russia’s development is emphasized.

The author notes an interrelation between scientific views of A.A.Kornilov and M.M.Kovalevski and their political stance as centrist liberals. The peculiar trait of the centrist concept of Russia reorganization is the substantiation of necessity to retain the historical continuity in the process of transformation. Ideologues of liberal centrism shared the understanding of danger that was result of their general approach to history and their refusal to put up with falsification of history. The article reflects position taken by Kornilov and Kovalevski on a range of issues that moved in the focus of public attention due to celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812. These issues included appraisal of Alexander I personality and policies, appraisal of M.M.Speranski's activities, the Continental Blockade’s consequences for Russia, impact of events occurred between the Treaties of Tilsit and Napoleon’s army invasion into Russia on results of the Patriotic War of 1812 and the impact of this war on public thought development, preparation to abolition of the serfdom and its actual abolition.

The article is devoted to a little-known page of A.V.Tyrkova-Williams' biography (1869−1962). A.V.Tyrkova-Williams was a public and political figure of pre-revolutionary Russia and the Russian emigration and died 50 years ago in Washington. The peculiar position this lady held in the Central Committee of the CD party as well as the analysis of her publications in ‘The Russian Buzz' (Saint-Petersburg, December 1912 — August, 1913) (Tyrkova-Williams was the unofficial editor-in-chief of the newspaper) allows the author to characterize her as a major figure of the centrist current in the Russian liberalism (tentatively speaking, between members of the CD party and members of the ‘Union of 17 October' party) that jelled in events of the Russian Troublous Time of the early 20th century).