Union of the Archangel Michael
미하일 대천사 동맹
A monarchist Black Hundred party founded in 1907 by Vladimir Purishkevich after his split from the Union of the Russian People. It defended Orthodoxy and autocracy, sought to strip Jews of the vote and ran antisemitic campaigns, while supporting the continued existence of the State Duma and Stolypin's reform. It legally ceased to exist after the February Revolution of 1917.
In depth
The union grew out of a conflict between Alexander Dubrovin, chairman of the Main Council of the Union of the Russian People, and his deputy Purishkevich. In 1907 their quarrel reached the right-wing press and the leadership clashed openly over party finances; Purishkevich submitted his resignation, and under Dubrovin's pressure the Main Council expelled him. The new union's programme and statutes were registered on 11 (24) March 1908.
Its highest body was the Main Chamber, whose first members included Purishkevich, the archpriest Ivan Vostorgov and Andrei Vyazigin, chairman of the council of the Duma's right-wing faction. Purishkevich at first declined the chairmanship, which long stayed vacant, and agreed to lead the union formally only at its fourth anniversary. The union stood for preserving Orthodoxy and autocracy, for depriving Jews of voting rights and for limiting the representation of Poland and the Caucasus. It published the newspaper Kolokol and the weeklies Pryamoy Put and Zveroboy, issued the Book of Russian Sorrow in memory of victims of revolutionary terrorism in 1908–1913, and ran mass antisemitic campaigns.
When the First World War began Purishkevich withdrew from the leadership and the union's activity practically ceased. In summer 1915 all the Moscow branches left to form a new monarchist organisation, and at the end of 1916 Purishkevich also left the Duma's right-wing faction. After the February Revolution of 1917 the union legally ceased to exist.