Reincarnated as Nikolai II

Beyond just throwing the Duma a lower house speaker or leftover ministerial position, giving them authority to form the cabinet.

’We can pass it over sequentially. Budget deliberation, establishment and operation of institutions, along with ordinance establishment, revision, and abolition.’

Like this, when the Duma clearly takes the helm of state affairs, I wonder if hundreds of thousands of bureaucrats won’t change into roles like future civil servants.

Kokovtsov has just about 5 years left in his term.

Though a short time if called short, I’m confident I can change this bureaucratic state within that time.

And Kokovtsov agreed with this.

"It’s possible. However, since the Duma can’t run state affairs overnight, each party will try to absorb many bureaucrats."

"Those who should cross over will cross over. And below that, we can make them maintain political neutrality."

"Though party fighting will intensify, since bureaucrats aren’t unconditionally clean either, not much will change. Aren’t corruption and politics natural problems in any group?"

This form of state administration is already being implemented in provincial zemstvos, so it’s not even a new system.

Of course, it would be a lie to say I’m not troubled facing the moment of overturning the empire once again with my hands.

"If it were Witte, would he have opposed until the end I wonder."

"Among past bureaucrats calling for reform, how many weren’t beaten down by party fighting? Just looking at the late Chairman Bunge, though he had foresight, wasn’t he driven out after suffering all sorts of insults?"

"Bunge... If he had continued reforms, the empire would be 10 years more advanced. Trans-Siberian Railway, land reform, gold standard, labor market, industrial development. Even corporate law. All were things Bunge advocated in the early days."

Indeed, if there is sufficient knowledge, there’s no more efficient way to rule a country than bureaucracy.

However, bureaucracy is unnecessary for me who has no more reforms to leave.

It means the state doesn’t need to firmly grasp everything from beginning to end.

"I say this in advance, but the parliamentary system might not settle as Your Majesty thinks."

"That’s fine. Change always needs time."

"It might even backfire. Even so, will you hand over cabinet formation and state administration to the Duma?"

"Yes."

"Understood."

This is my final reform.

Tsarism is over.

==

"..."

"..."

"Speak first. You seem to have much to say."

"Isn’t our minister the one who sought me to resolve complicated feelings?"

"Tsk."

"Sigh..."

Though it’s quite unseemly to chain smoke after calling someone, today Stolypin didn’t storm out of his seat.

"I already knew this would happen. I heard that during former Prime Minister Witte’s time, he thoroughly blocked bureaucrats’ intervention in politics, but Prime Minister Kokovtsov didn’t. Why? Because he anticipated that bureaucrats would eventually become part of this Duma."

"What anticipation. This is His Majesty the Tsar’s will."

"Just looking at Beren Volkov tells us. The Duma will eventually grasp this country’s power."

Beren, who called for anti-war and anti-West even when the alliance with France was solid, finally became Foreign Minister.

Doesn’t this mean anti-war and anti-West will become the Russian Empire’s diplomatic policy going forward?

And the signal such personnel measures give bureaucrats is just one.

’The Duma enters the cabinet.’

’Perhaps the next Prime Minister won’t be chosen by His Majesty but elected by the Duma?’

That the Tsar, who has been endlessly reducing work since the Prime Minister system, is gradually trying to pass state affairs to the Duma.

"Even so. It will take easily 20 more years for the Duma to replace us bureaucrats."

"His Majesty the Tsar also created that Duma."

"But thinking of separation of legislative and executive powers, I wonder if he’ll really do so."

"His Majesty will keep legislative and executive under control through the judiciary."

"That remains to be seen."

Already mature to the point of reaching the peak of each field in bureaucratic society, Stolypin and Jugashvili continuously spied while exchanging words, dismantling and analyzing each other’s thoughts.

’Even bureaucracy forms factions and has rotten places anyway.’

’Just as the Duma’s role was in the past, this reform clearly brings bureaucrats’ factional fighting into the sunlight.’

What does the Tsar ultimately want?

And separately from that, what will reality become?

After several conversations over these two questions, the two men concluded.

"This is both opportunity and test."

"The wall blocking bureaucratic society and that elected representative society is gone."

"...What do you plan to do?"

"With no wall, we must start leveling work first. Buildings rise well only when the foundation is solid."

"You have no intention of going easy."

"Who would go easy on whom? If you don’t eat, you’ll be eaten."

Though it might look like dialogue in riddles, the two men confirmed each other’s thoughts through brief conversation.

Because they were originally thinking exactly the same thing.

Though Nicholas might be attempting this bureaucratic reform while thinking of future parliamentary cabinet system, or relationship between elected president and appointed prime minister with separated head of state and head of government.

To Jugashvili and Stolypin’s eyes...

’Duma running state affairs? Those who can’t pass a single report or document without our bureaucrats’ help?’

’...His Majesty has handed the Duma’s lifeline to our hands!’

This wasn’t abolishing bureaucratic society, but was no different from putting the tender flesh of the Duma into the mouths of bureaucrats who had grown while raising the empire.

Bureaucrats who grew while proceeding with everything - reform, war, development.

Duma representatives merely elected by regional popularity votes.

"Though those who don’t know their place might think the lower house speaker becomes prime minister."

"We can’t hand it over to those who don’t know anything about state affairs. Their vessel only goes that far."

When these two groups collide, isn’t it clear who’s predator and who’s prey?

Since the Tsar couldn’t not know this, the two men saw this reform’s true purpose as bringing bureaucratic factions into the sunlight.

Just as the past Duma did.

Then the cabinet formation form that will naturally follow this would be a ’national neutral cabinet’ form where no specific party monopolizes, like how several factions divide the current bureaucratic society.

"So, which party are you thinking of entering, Minister of Finance?"

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"Wrong question. It’s not me entering, but them coming under me."

They were already no mere civil servants.