1905 Revolution — causes and events
1905 Revolution — causes and events
Causes of the 1905 Revolution
- Russia was still a largely agricultural society, with a majority of the population being poorly paid peasants working on privately-owned land.
- Industrialisation had caused rapid and difficult changes. Workers lived in appalling conditions, were exploited, and had no political rights.
- Russia’s humiliating defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) damaged national pride and belief in the Tsar’s leadership.
- There was a lack of political freedom and a desire for a constitutional democracy.
- Accentuated social divides and economic inequality led to civil unrest among the masses.
- The Tsar, Nicholas II, was considered as out of touch, unsympathetic and inflexible in his autocratic rule.
Events of the 1905 Revolution
- Bloody Sunday: On 22 January, Father Gapon led a peaceful protest of workers and their families to the Winter Palace. The Imperial Guard opened fire, leading to a massacre.
- Following Bloody Sunday, there was widespread discontent and strikes broke out across Russia.
- The Tsar tried to quell the strike movement with promises of reform in his October Manifesto, including the creation of a political parliament, the Duma.
- The Moscow Uprising in December was the peak of the revolution. After a week of intense fighting, the uprising was subdued, marking the end of the revolution.
- Although the Tsar conceded to some reforms, many were unsatisfied with the outcome and viewed the Duma as a sham.
- The 1905 Revolution was a precursor to the broader societal upheavals that would rock Russia in the years leading up to 1917.