The Constitutional Democratic Party, also called the Cadet Party, was established in 1905 and represented the leftist trend of liberalism. It was also called the "professorial party" for the high level of education of its members. The Cadets offered the empire liberal values and constitutional decisions that were introduced in European states. However, in Russia they were unclaimed.
The Cadet Party advocated non-violent development of the state, parliamentarism and liberalization. In the program of political education there was a provision on the equality of all citizens, regardless of nationality, class, sex and religion. The Cadet Party also advocated the abolition of restrictions for different classes and nationalities, the right to the inviolability of the individual, freedom of movement, conscience, speech, assembly, press and religion.
The Cadet Party considered the best for Russia to be a parliamentary form of government based on universal suffrage with an explicit and secret ballot. Democratization of local self-government and expansion of its powers were also what the Cadets sought. The party favored the independence of the court and increased the area of land allotments for the peasants at the expense of specific, state, cabinet and monastery lands, as well as through the purchase of private land by landlords at their real estimated cost. The list of priorities also included: freedom of strikes and labor unions, an eight-hour working day, the development of production legislation, universal compulsory and free primary education, and full autonomy of Poland and Finland. The leader of the Cadet Party, P.N. Miliukov later became Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Provisional Government .
In 1906, the program added the point that the country should become a parliamentary and constitutional monarchy. The highest party body of the Cadets was the Central Committee, which was elected at congresses. It was subdivided into the Moscow and Petersburg departments. The Petersburg Central Committee worked on the program of the party and the submission of various bills to the Duma. At the Moscow Central Committee was publishing work, as well as organizing agitation. Most of the members of the Central Committee were representatives of the bourgeoisie and the intelligentsia, as well as of landowners with liberal views.
In 1917, after the February revolution happened , the Cadet party from the opposition structure turned into a ruling political entity. Its representatives took leading positions in the Provisional Government. From the idea of constitutional monarchy, the party quickly moved to slogans about democracy and the parliamentary republic. After the February Revolution, this party began actively strengthening its positions among clergy, students and intellectuals. Among the working class and the majority of the peasants, its positions remained weak, which was subsequently one of the reasons why the Provisional Government could not hold out long in power.
In 1921 in Paris at the party congress there was a split into two groups. The new "democratic" branch was led by Miliukov, and the part that remained in the previous positions was led by the Kaminka and Hessen. Since that time, the cadets, as a single political party, have ceased to exist.