born Jan. 27, 1859, Moscow, Russia
died March 3, 1943, Aix-les-Bains, France
Russian politician and historian.
He taught history at Moscow University until 1895 and wrote the acclaimed Outlines of Russian Culture (3 vol., 1896–1903). A liberal who admired the political values of democratic countries, he cofounded the progressive Constitutional Democratic Party in 1905 and led the party in the Duma (1907–17). In 1917 he helped form the provisional government under Prince Georgy Y. Lvov and served briefly as minister of foreign affairs. He tried to form a moderate coalition against the Bolsheviks but was forced to leave Russia and eventually settled in Paris.