In 1808 , Emperor Alexander I took Speransky to the Congress of Erfurt and introduced him to Napoleon . Speransky and Napoleon discussed a possible Russian administrative reform . In his projects of reform , Speransky envisaged a constitutional system based on a series of dumas – the cantonal assembly ( '' volost '' ) electing the duma of the district , the dumas of the districts electing that of the province or government and these electing the Duma of the empire . As a mediating power between the autocrat and the Duma , there was to be a nominated council of state
Congress of Erfurt
Congress of Erfurt
Mikhail Speransky