Stolypin, Pyotr

Stolypin, Pyotr (Arkadyevich)

(born April 14, 1862, Dresden, Saxony—died Sept. 18, 1911, Kiev, Ukraine, Russian Empire) Russian politician. Appointed governor of the provinces of Grodno (1902) and Saratov (1903), he improved the welfare of the peasants while also subduing their rebellions. He gained the favour of Tsar Nicholas II and was appointed minister of the interior and prime minister in 1906. He initiated agrarian reforms that gave the peasants greater freedom to choose representatives to the zemstvo councils and to acquire land, which he believed would create a loyal and conservative class of farmers. His repressive measures against rebels and terrorists earned him the enmity of liberals. He dissolved the Duma when it opposed his reforms, but he later won support from moderates. He was assassinated by a revolutionary in 1911.