Dmitri Feodorovich Trepov

Dmitri Feodorovich Trepov. 1905.

Dmitri Feodorovich Trepov (transliterated at the time as Trepoff), (15 December 1850 – 15 September 1906) was Head of Moscow police; Governor-General of St. Petersburg with extra-ordinary powers; Assistant Interior Minister with full control of the police.^[1] His attempts to restore order were overwhelmed by the revolution of 1905; he retained influence with the Tsar Nicholas II, when appointed as the Commandant of the Imperial Palace.

Life

Dmitri was the second son of General Fyodor Trepov who was involved in the suppression of the January Uprising in 1864 and appointed as the mayor of St Petersburg. Dmitri was the brother of A.F. Trepov, Vladimir F. Trepov, and F.F. Trepov, Jr.

After his education and training in the Corps des Pages, Trepov participated in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78).

He was involved in the 'Third Section', named by Grand Duke Sergei, Governor General of Moscow Governorate. In 1896 he became Chief Police of Moscow, where he took a strong line against student agitators. The year after he was shot and wounded in his leg.

A few days after Bloody Sunday (1905), on 12 January 1905 (O.S.), Trepoff was appointed in St Petersburg (the capital of the Russian Empire) to become Governor General of the Saint Petersburg Governorate with full power to forbid all congresses, associations, or meetings. He took his residence in the Winter Palace. Along with Plehve and Count Ignatyev Trepov promoted a policy of repression and anti-Jewish persecution. He personally edited pamphlets.^[2]

Dmitriy Trepov

In the beginning of June 1905 he was appointed Assistant Minister of the Interior under Alexander Bulygin: he appeared to acquiesce in Prime Minister Count Witte's reforms. Trepov, protected by Vladimir Freedericksz, described by Witte as the unofficial dictator of the country, ruling the government. Trepov allowed students in September the right to assemble on university campuses, and removed the police, but one month later he was urging “the most drastic measures” to end the strike of railway workers. Trepov ordered provincial police to “act in the most drastic manner...not stopping at the direct application of force.” On 14 October (O.S) he gave orders to “Spare no cartridges and use no blanks”: the police and the army ignore the order. The police surrounded the University of St. Petersburg, forbade rallies, and threatened to clear the campus by force. Trepov warned the Tsar that order can’t be forcibly restored without very heavy bloodshed. A few day later he did sign the October Manifesto, in which his dismissal was one of the demands. Trepoff sent in his resignation. There were demonstrations for and against the Manifesto; street fighting in St. Petersburg between Black Hundreds and workers.

On 26 October (O.S.) the Tsar appointed Trepoff without consulting Premier Witte Master of the Palace at Tsarskoe Selo, and had daily contact with the Emperor; his influence at court was paramount.

Late June, after the dissolution of the First Duma, he promoted a cabinet with only Kadets, which in his opinion would soon enter into a violent conflict with the Emperor and fail. He secretly met with Pavel Milyukov.^[3] He opposed to Pyotr Stolypin, promoting a coalition cabinet.^[4] Trepov was a lifelong reactionary/anti reformist, like his father. He strongly believed that autocracy was the only way for Russia.

Subject to many assassination threats - some of those involved stating that he was safe in the streets as he had been marked for assassination in his own bedroom: two of his nieces were among those who attempted to assassinate him. Early July assassins tried to kill him at Peterhof Palace, but he died of angina pectoris, heaving trouble with his heart.^[5]

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