Pyotr Nikolayevich Durnovo
Encyclopedia
Pyotr Nikolayevich Durnovo (1845 in Moscow Governorate
- in Petrograd) was an Imperial Russian lawyer and politician.
Court of Appeals until transferring to the Ministry of the Interior in 1881. He was appointed Director of Police in 1884 and remained in that position until 1893 when he was forced to resign due to a disagreement between himself and the Spanish
Ambassador to Russia that involved misuse of Police powers. He was appointed to the Imperial Russian Governing Senate in 1893 where he distinguished himself. In 1900, he was appointed Assistant Minister of the Interior in charge of Posts and Telegraph services at the request of Sipiagin. He remained in this position until 1905 when he was appointed Minister of the Interior on Witte
's recommendation. He departed from the position of Minister shortly after Witte's resignation from the Chairmanship of the Council of Ministers despite his differences with Witte.
Durnovo is noted for his outspoken opposition to close relations with the United Kingdom
in favor of close relations with Germany
. He believed that German and Russian interests were complementary while War between the two could only result in destruction of the existing political orders of both. He explained his views, most of which were realized in the aftermath of World War I
in a letter to Nicholas II in 1914.
He was the last Russian Imperial Minister of Interior, whose death was resulted by natural causes. His six successors were assassinated or murdered during Red Terror
.
Moscow Governorate
Moscow Governorate , or Government of Moscow, was an administrative division of the Russian Empire, which existed in 1708–1929....
- in Petrograd) was an Imperial Russian lawyer and politician.
Biography
Durnova was born in Moscow in 1845. He was a graduate of the Imperial Naval School and Military/Naval Law Academy. He served in the Ministry of Justice reaching the position of Assistant Procurator of the KievKiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
Court of Appeals until transferring to the Ministry of the Interior in 1881. He was appointed Director of Police in 1884 and remained in that position until 1893 when he was forced to resign due to a disagreement between himself and the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Ambassador to Russia that involved misuse of Police powers. He was appointed to the Imperial Russian Governing Senate in 1893 where he distinguished himself. In 1900, he was appointed Assistant Minister of the Interior in charge of Posts and Telegraph services at the request of Sipiagin. He remained in this position until 1905 when he was appointed Minister of the Interior on Witte
Sergei Witte
Count Sergei Yulyevich Witte , also known as Sergius Witte, was a highly influential policy-maker who presided over extensive industrialization within the Russian Empire. He served under the last two emperors of Russia...
's recommendation. He departed from the position of Minister shortly after Witte's resignation from the Chairmanship of the Council of Ministers despite his differences with Witte.
Durnovo is noted for his outspoken opposition to close relations with the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in favor of close relations with Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He believed that German and Russian interests were complementary while War between the two could only result in destruction of the existing political orders of both. He explained his views, most of which were realized in the aftermath of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in a letter to Nicholas II in 1914.
He was the last Russian Imperial Minister of Interior, whose death was resulted by natural causes. His six successors were assassinated or murdered during Red Terror
Red Terror
The Red Terror in Soviet Russia was the campaign of mass arrests and executions conducted by the Bolshevik government. In Soviet historiography, the Red Terror is described as having been officially announced on September 2, 1918 by Yakov Sverdlov and ended about October 1918...
.