The Imperial State Duma was created during Tsar Nicholas II’s reign as a part of a series of measures established by the October Manifesto, following the Russian Revolution of 1905. The Duma served as the lower house of a bicameral legislature established by the Tsar, with the State Council acting as the upper house. Throughout its history, there have been four iterations of this regulatory entity before the collapse of the autocratic Tsarist regime in February 1917.

The Duma had the main role of overseeing the legislation of the Tsar's reign, drafting, debating, and proposing laws. Further, it could revise proposed legislation and discuss matters regarding public policy. However, although the Imperial State Duma acted as an extremely significant first attempt at a representative legislative body in Russia, it was considerably limited in its powers due to the Tsar’s moderating power, authority to dissolve the house, control over elections, and final say on the legislation that was effectively enacted, as was established by the Fundamental Laws of 1906.

Additionally, the council served as a forum for public debate in several spheres, such as the economic, political, and social sectors. Through these discussions, even without ultimate authority, the Duma could greatly influence the political and social scenario in Russia. Further, the Russian legislative body often emerged as a mediating body between the demands for reform from the lower social classes and the autocratic rule of Nicholas II. This was particularly true for the first two iterations of the Duma (1906 and 1907 respectively), which were more ideologically radical in nature but were dissolved in a matter of months. The two subsequent iterations were more conservative compared to the first two, though the fourth iteration of the legislative body became increasingly critical of the Tsar’s handling of WWI and of the domestic socio-economic crisis as 1917 approached.

Most importantly, the Imperial State Duma had the ultimate role of representing the interests of a vast range of social groups, varying from the highest ranks of nobility to the poorest of workers and peasants. Despite its limited powers, the State Duma became a prominent battlefield for a vast scope of political parties to express their views and criticize government policies in the dawn of revolution in late Imperial Russia.