Alexander Fyodorovich Trepov (; ; 30 September 1862 – 10 November 1928) was the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

from 23 November 1916 until 9 January 1917. He was conservative, a monarchist, a member of the Russian Assembly, and an advocate of moderate reforms opposed to the influence of

Grigori Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian Mysticism, mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II of Russia, Nicholas II, the last Emperor of all the Russias, Emperor of Russia, th ...

Biography

Early life

Alexander was the youngest of the four sons of general Fyodor Trepov, who was involved in the suppression of the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

in 1864 and between 1873 and 1878 served as Governor of St Petersburg. All of his three brothers held senior positions during the reign of Nicholas II. According to MP-nationalist AI Savenko, Alexander was "the most intelligent of the brothers, capable, very determined, with lots of character".The PENULTIMATE PRIME Minister of the RUSSIAN EMPIRE A. F. TREPOV by FEDOR ALEKSANDROVICH GAIDA (2012)
/ref> Alexander was educated in His Majesty's Page Corps. He worked in the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

(1889–1892), was elected Marshal of Nobility of Pereiaslavl

Uezd An uezd (also spelled uyezd or uiezd; rus, уе́зд ( pre-1918: уѣздъ), p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context () was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, the ...

(1892–1895), and assistant State Secretary (1899). Alexander was appointed as a member of the special commission to draft a plan for a

State Duma The State Duma is the lower house of the Federal Assembly (Russia), Federal Assembly of Russia, with the upper house being the Federation Council (Russia), Federation Council. It was established by the Constitution of Russia, Constitution of t ...

, according to the rescript of February 18, 1905, and the Manifesto of October 17. He was the brother of General Dmitri Feodorovich Trepov, who during the

Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905, also known as the First Russian Revolution, was a revolution in the Russian Empire which began on 22 January 1905 and led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Russian Constitution of 1906, t ...

/1906 served as deputy minister of the interior, played a major role in the repression of unrest and was described as the real ruler of the country. Trepov became senator in the

Governing Senate From 1711 to 1917, the Governing Senate was the highest legislative, judicial, and executive body subordinate to the Russian emperors. The senate was instituted by Peter the Great to replace the Boyar Duma and lasted until the very end of the R ...

in 1906. In an unknown year he was sent abroad to study the

parliamentary system A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their Election, democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support ("confidence") of a majority of t ...

s of Western Europe. In 1914 he was appointed in the State Council. Trepov was appointed Minister of Transport, Railways and Communication on November 12 (30 October O.S.), 1915, and

was grieved. He developed the Kirov Railway, constructed with a number of war prisoners, to improve the transport connections between the ice-free port of

Murmansk Murmansk () is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast in the far Far North (Russia), northwest part of Russia. It is the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle and sits on both slopes and banks of a modest fjord, Ko ...

with the Eastern Front during World War I. The food problem in the big cities was a difficult issue. Aleksandr Naumov suggested to create a special meeting of five Ministers on Military, Internal Affairs, Communications, Agriculture, and Finance. It was headed by Trepov. On 1 January 1916 Trepov became minister of Transport under

Ivan Goremykin Ivan Logginovich Goremykin (; 8 November 183924 December 1917) was a Russian politician who served as the prime minister of the Russian Empire in 1906 and again from 1914 to 1916, during World War I. He was the last person to have the civil rank ...

, who was succeeded shortly after by Boris Stürmer. Trepov had secretly designed a plan of railway construction and introduced it in government. Trepov quickly established himself in office and showed that his ambition went further. Having proven himself to be a competent organizer, Trepov was now willing to become the next prime minister. According to Naumov, Trepov was one of the most temperamental and talkative members of the

Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...

, dealing with an almost dictatorial Stürmer as Prime Minister, Interior Minister and Foreign Minister.

Prime minister

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 Empress

Alexandra Alexandra () is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander (, ). Etymology, Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; genitive, GEN , ; ...

proposed to appoint Ivan Shcheglovitov to Foreign Affairs, but he seemed to be unacceptable. On 10 November 1916 the bellicose Trepov was appointed new prime minister,Figes, p. 288 promising to promote a

, but keeping his position of transport minister. Trepov's declaration contained promises to urgently reform the municipal government, to enter the rural municipality district council and to remove national and religious restrictions to education. Because of the shortage in food in the big cities Aleksei Aleksandrovich Bobrinsky, the minister of agriculture had to give up his post; he was succeeded by Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Rittikh. On 17 November Nikolai Pokrovsky was appointed to the ministry of foreign affairs. According to

Orlando Figes Orlando Guy Figes (; born 20 November 1959) is a British and German historian and writer. He was a professor of history at Birkbeck College, University of London, where he was made Emeritus Professor on his retirement in 2022. Figes is known f ...

it was the Russian liberals final opportunity to 'make their peace' with the government. 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. Trepov was supposed to achieve the resignation of four of the most unpopular ministers. On 16 November Trepov informed Alexander Protopopov that he wished him to give up his position in the

and take over that of Trade and Industry, but Protopopov refused. Trepov had made the dismissal of Protopopov an indispensable condition of his accepting the presidency of the council,Pipes, p. 261 Protopopov being a 'protege of Rasputin'. and supposedly having mental problems. On 19 November Trepov declared full transfer of the food issue at the request of the Duma to the ministry of agriculture. On 27 November both Protopopov and Alexandra travelled to

Stavka The ''Stavka'' ( Russian and Ukrainian: Ставка, ) is a name of the high command of the armed forces used formerly in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union and currently in Ukraine. In Imperial Russia ''Stavka'' referred to the administrat ...

. Trepov threatened to resign on the next day. On 29 November/12 December the German Chancellor,

Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg Theobald Theodor Friedrich Alfred von Bethmann Hollweg (29 November 1856 – 1 January 1921) was a German politician who was chancellor of the German Empire, imperial chancellor of the German Empire from 1909 to 1917. He oversaw the German entry ...

, 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 France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

promised Russia

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

and the

Bosporus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...

, but was loudly hissed at by the Socialists. The deputies shouted "down with the Ministers! Down with Protopopov!". Pokrovsky said that Russia would never sign a peace treaty with the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

, 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 Anna Alexandrovna Vyrubova (''née'' Taneyeva; ; 16 July 1884 – 20 July 1964) was a lady-in-waiting in the late Russian Empire, the best friend and confidante of Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna. Early life Anna Alexandrovna Taneeva was born in ...

and Rasputin combined the pro-peace Protopopov stayed in his job.

Rasputin

Trepov having failed to eliminate Protopopov tried to bribe Rasputin. With the help of general A.A. Mosolov,Mosolov, p. ? his brother-in-law, Trepov offered a substantial amount of money, a bodyguard and a house to Rasputin, when he would leave politics. Trepov had offered Rasputin 200,000 roubles in cash to return to

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

and never again involve himself in politics. Rasputin refused the offer and informed Alexandra. The tsar received Trepov on Monday the 12th Dec. On 13 December Rasputin warned against the influence of Trepov. Alexandra reacted with a letter to her husband against Trepov. She hated Trepov and Makarov;Walsh, p. 115, 116 & 297 the tsarina even wanted Trepov hanged. Fighting the war against Germany had to go on.

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

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 Felix Yusupov, and

Grand Duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. The title is used in some current and former independent monarchies in Europe, particularly: * in ...

s Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich and Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich to have him murdered in the hope stopping Alexandra's 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 dismissed on the 27th. Also Pavel Ignatieff, Alexander Makarov and

Dmitry Shuvayev Dmitry Savelyevich Shuvayev (; – 19 December 1937) was a Russian military leader, Infantry General (1912) and Ministry of War of the Russian Empire, Minister of War (1916). Life Dmitry Shuvayev graduated from Alexander Military School in 187 ...

were replaced. 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 The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

he was arrested by the

Cheka The All-Russian Extraordinary Commission ( rus, Всероссийская чрезвычайная комиссия, r=Vserossiyskaya chrezvychaynaya komissiya, p=fsʲɪrɐˈsʲijskəjə tɕrʲɪzvɨˈtɕæjnəjə kɐˈmʲisʲɪjə, links=yes), ...

. Trepov collaborated with Count to protect the imperial family. From autumn 1918 to January 1919 he led in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

the "Special Committee for Russian in Finland". In the 1920s 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 died in 1928 and was buried at the Russian Orthodox Cemetery, Nice.

References

Bibliography

*
The PENULTIMATE PRIME Minister of the RUSSIAN EMPIRE A. F. TREPOV by FEDOR ALEKSANDROVICH GAIDA (2012)
* * * *Pares, Bernard. ''The Fall of the Russian Monarchy'' * * * * *

Other

* An obituary can be found in The Times, Monday, Nov 12, 1928; p. 18 (using the old transliteration Trepoff).

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trepov, Alexander 1862 births 1928 deaths Marshals of nobility Senators of the Russian Empire Members of the State Council (Russian Empire) Politicians from Kyiv Heads of government of the Russian Empire Russian monarchists White Russian emigrants to France Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France Nobility from the Russian Empire