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RUSSIA-1894-1905
Key Events
1861
Emancipation of serfdom
1864
Locally elected Zemstva established
1892
Witte appointed Minister of Finance
1894
Nicholas II becomes Tsar
1902
Formation of SRs
1904
Russo-Japanese War begins
Jan 1905
Bloody Sunday
Aug 1905
August Manifesto
Sept 1905
Treaty of Portsmouth between Russia and Japan
Oct 1905
October Manifesto
Dec 1905
Moscow Uprising
How was Russia governed pre-1905?
Tsarism pre-1905 was based on the three key principles ‘Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Nationality.’’
Nicholas II was committed to autocracy. He dismissed early calls for reform as ‘’senseless
daydreams.’’ There were no checks on the Tsar’s power, as there was no constitution, no
parliament, no protection of citizens rights, and ministers were appointed by and accountable
only to the Tsar.
Nationality stated that Russians were entitled to dominate the empire, and was used to justify
‘Russification’ policies, which suppressed national minorities. The minority which suffered most
was the Jewish. By 1905 there were 5 million Jews in Russia, and there were 1400 laws
discriminating against them. They were targeted by ‘pogroms’ and often used as scapegoats.
Early Middle Class Opposition
This was a fast expanding sector of Russian society, and due to liberal ideas was broadly hostile to the
Tsar, wishing to follow the example set by Western democracies.
Liberal ideas grew most rapidly in the universities, which were becoming larger in order to supply the
economic and industrial revolution the Tsar desired. Therefore, more middle class students came
into contact with liberal ideas. Between 1899 and 1901 there were several clashes between
students and authorities, one of which left 13 protestors dead.
The establishment of local zemstva also saw a growth in liberal ideas. They began to call more openly
for a voice in national affairs, though the government refused to even consider this.
In 1902, the Liberation newspaper was founded, and in 1904 the League of Liberation was
Revolutionary Groups
Social Revolutionaries
leaders were all middle or upper class in
background
Aimed to win peasant support, but also attracted a
significant following amongst workers
Loosely organised and undisciplined party, some
were moderates and others were willing to turn
to terrorism
Believed in peasant based socialist (due to the fact
80% of Russia’s population was peasantry) as
opposed to Marxist theories based on workers
Used violence as a political weapon, accepted there
was little chance of a bloodless revolution.
Tactics included assassinations of ministers and
Social Democrats
Founded on Marxist beliefs
Started the underground newspaper Iskra in
1900 to spread ideas
Split in 1903 to Bolsheviks and Mensheviks
Lenin wanted the Bolsheviks to be a close knit
, professional party, with a very centralised
leadership
The Mensheviks were more orthodox
marxists, whereas Bolsheviks were more
flexible and ready to adapt Marx’s ideas
Why did opposition groups have little effect pre-1905?
Peasant unrest was frequent but localised, and aimed at landowners rather than the regime. There was
primitive transport and communications between spread out peasant populations, and they were also
limited by a lack of literacy. Therefore, it was difficult to organise into and effective political force.
The proletariat in Russia was small, only about 3% of the population.
Only 21% of the Russian population could read (1897 census) and so propaganda,newspapers and
pamphlets had limited value to revolutionaries
Middle or Upper Class leaders of revolutionary groups struggled to cross the class divide and win the
confidence of workers and peasants.
Before 1905, opposition parties were illegal and freedom of speech and assembly was restricted by laws,
making it hard for them to win support
The Okhrana infiltrated and destroyed revolutionary networks
The regime was also defended by the police and army who frequently broke up strikes and
demonstrations, 500 times in 1902.
Causes of the
1905
Revolution
Nicholas II and Autocracy
(long term cause)
Autocracy under the Romanovs had been the system of
rule in Russia for three centuries, however it was out of
date compared with the modern Western democracies.
As well as this, Nicholas as an individual was not fit to
rule as an autocrat, unwilling to make reforms,
particularly after the assassination of his grandfather
Alexander II in 1881 after he introduced the ‘Great
Reforms.’’ Nicholas was also devoted to his family, which
took precedence over his role as ‘little Father’ to the rest
of Russia, especially after his son Alexei was born with
hemophilia in 1904.
Nicholas was desperate for Russia to become more
modern, while keeping its autocratic government.
Industrial change, pushed by the Tsar and Minister
Witte, at the end of the 19th Century brought 3% of the
population into urban areas for industrial work, from
which one of the revolutionary groups would develop. A
growing workforce exposed the weaknesses of
autocratic rule, as they were given no political voice and
The Russo-Japanese War
Russia entered this war unprepared and overconfident, seeing Japan as racially
inferior, though they went on to suffer a series of embarrassing defeats in the war.
Contrary to what Interior Minister Plehve had suggested-victory in the war would
help the regime- the war escalated the political situation in Russia:
Liberal’s were angered by the mishandling of the war, became more hostile
They challenged the regime more boldly, as they knew defeat left it vulnerable,
reflected in the League of Liberation’s 1904 Banquet Campaign.
The war led to a rise in unemployment and food prices, so the working class
became more discontented
The war ended in 1905 with the Treaty of Portsmouth, under which Russia agreed
BLOODY SUNDAY
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(trigger cause)
150,000 unarmed demonstrators (industrial
workers) gathered around St.Petersburg
Fired upon by Russian Army units, around 200
killed and 800 wounded
They had planned to present a petition to the
Tsar, focusing on improving working
conditions, legalising trade unions, higher
wages and an eight hour day, pleas for free
speech and political reform. Did NOT want to
abolish capitalism or autocracy
A massive wave of protest across Russia
followed. Nearly ½ a million workers went on
strike, and student strikes led to the closure of
most universities for the rest of the year
Liberals became even more demanding for
political reform
A more important trigger for revolution than the
Russo-Japanese war, firstly as it happened in
the capital as opposed the far away like the war,
and the shooting of peaceful demonstrators
here was more shocking to the Russian people.
Father Gapon Organised the
January demonstration.
Revolutionary
Activity in
1905
Peasant disorder eg in the ‘Black Earth’ region in March became more common
National minorities also strike, eg 100 were killed in Poland in Street Fighting in June, and there was a
general strike in Finland between October and November. This was due to the growth of anti-Russian
and nationalistic feeling
Over 2,000 were killed in the Potemkin mutiny in June, in October there were localised mutinies in St.
Petersburg, Moscow and Kronstadt
The League of Liberation and Union of Unions came together to form the Kadet party
St.Petersburg Soviet formed in October. Was meant to organise and direct the general strike in the capital.
Response and
Recovery of
the Regime
August Manifesto
New advisory assembly, the Duma, was to be elected. The complex electoral system for this was to favour
peasants and landowners. This reflects the regime’s naive belief in the fundamental loyalty of the peasants. The
manifesto was dismissed by opposition as being inadequate, leaving all of the Tsar’s powers intact.
October Manifesto and its effects
In October, Russia was paralysed by a 12-day general strike. Witte advised Nicholas to make significant
concessions, in the form of the October Manifesto. This guaranteed basic freedoms, legalisation of trade unions
and political parties, new laws requiring the approval of the Duma, and all classes of population given the right the
vote in elections to the Duma.
Moderate liberals accepted the October manifesto, and formed the new Octobrist party. Radical liberals said the
manifesto did not go far enough, wanting a constitution and fearing the government would go back on their
promises. They formed the Kadet party. This split between the liberals allowed the regime to regain strength,
and a right-wing movement began such as the Union of Russian People party, which defended the principles of
orthodoxy, autocracy and nationality. This party was closely linked to the Black Hundreds paramilitary gangs,
which organised anti-Jewish pogroms, in one of which 800 Jews were killed. The regime did not stop this
violence, and the Tsar made no secret of his support for the Union of Russian People.
The Moscow Uprising
By late 1905, the regime had regained enough strength to disband the St.Petersburg
Soviet, but the Moscow Soviet were not so easily silenced. The Moscow Soviet called for
a general strike in December, and went on the distribute weapons for an armed uprising.
Army units responded brutally, and over 1,000 people died in the uprising.
How far had the regime recovered by 1905?
The October manifesto won the regime the support of the Octobrists and had divided the Russian liberals,
making opposition momentarily weaker
The working class militants and soviets were crushed after the Moscow uprising, weakening opponents and
showing that military loyalty was still with the Tsar
The armed forces, nobility and Orthodox church had remained loyal to the regime. The military were
particularly important as they were needed to crush uprisings
The Union of Russian People and Black Hundreds had formed to defend Tsarism
The regime had regained confidence, shown by how ruthlessly the Moscow Uprising was put down, and the
However:
later Fundamental Laws in 1906. As well as this, the electoral system for the Duma gave a
to landowners
● disproportionate
Levels of peasantamount
unrest of
in influence
the countryside
were still high, and the authorities were not in full control of
rural Russia, or national minorities
● Nicholas’ power was no longer unlimited, as the Duma having a role in lawmaking diluted the principles
of autocracy.
● Trade Unions and Political parties were legalised, meaning the regime was now subject to open
criticism and opposition