endeavors in the field of devices peasants." Stürmer, being a dualist, opposed, on one hand, the Black Hundreds, speaking for unlimited autocracy, and the other - the Octobrists and the Kadets, to practice the idea of parliamentarism. Stürmer believed that the division of bureaucrats on the right and liberals required a very cautious attitude. In the 1913 countrywide celebrations of the tercentenary of the Romanov Dynasty, he accompanied the Tsar and his family on a journey to Tver. In autumn of the same year, he was appointed as mayor of Moscow as the candidate from the left was unacceptable to the Tsar. He became a member of the Domestic Patriotic Union (OPS) - a moderately right-monarchist organization, founded in 1915. In November 1915 it was proposed the old Goremykin should be replaced by Alexei Khvostov. Though on 18 January 1916 the Tsar invited Stürmer to discuss the possibility of a new job. Prime minister Stürmer petitioned Tsar Nicholas II to sanction the change of his German-surname to Panin. Since the Panins were a distinguished family of Russian nobility, the monarch could not agree to Stürmer's request until he had consulted all members of the Panin family. The Tsarina and Grigori Rasputin had the opinion it was not necessary for Stürmer to change his name. Pending these proceedings, Stürmer was appointed Prime Minister on 20 January 1916, following the 76-year-old Ivan Goremykin, who was opposed to the convening of the Duma. Nicholas ordered the new prime minister to "take all measures" to ensure that "the government avoided any conflicts with the State Duma," and gave "specific instructions" to "improve relations between the government and the Romanovs." On the eve of the opening of the Duma, the Prime Minister told Rodzianko that "the government is ready to make a concession to the Progressive Bloc, provided that the unit itself is also ready to make compromises." It was a shift to the left; they expected he would launch a more liberal and conciliatory politics. The Duma gathered on 9 February 1916. The deputies were disappointed when Stürmer held his speech, as the politicians tried to bring the government under the control of the Duma. For the first time in his life, the Tsar had made a visit to the Tauride Palace, which made it practically impossible to hiss at the new prime minister. "As Director of his Secretariat Sturmer selected Manassievich Manuilov. This