1905 revolution

causes timeline effects why he survived it

timeline of events in 1905

1. 1905-1907:

   • There were riots across Russia by peasants.

   • They burned their landlords' homes and created communes to share the land.

2. february 1905:

   • strikes spread to other cities and workers demand an eight hour day

3. march-may 1905:

   • defeat in russo-japanese war leads to a demand for change in government by liberals

4. 14th june 1905:

   • sailors on potemkin battleship mutiny over poor quality food: this resulted in the deaths of some officers and sailors

   • The Potemkin sailed to the port of Odessa where strikers and protesters showed their support for the sailors. There were riots, which Nicholas II ordered the army to stop. 1,000 people were shot dead.

   • liberals demand a duma and the poles demand independence

5. july 1905:

   • peasants riot and seize land

   • workers’ councils (soviets) formed to represent their demands for better

6. september 1905:

   • peace treaty with japan signed

   • tsar promises soldiers better pay

   • general strike spreads from moscow to other cities (20th sept-2nd oct): barricades on streets

   • st petersburg soviet formed

7. 30 october 1905:

   • october manifesto signed

   • new political parties (e.g kadets and octobrists) are formed, demanding constitutional change

   • The workers organised into soviets, or worker councils, in St Petersburg and Moscow by October 1905.

     → These were elected councils which demanded better conditions.

     → Leon Trotsky became the chairman of the St Petersburg Soviet.

8. december 1905:

   • russian army returns from japan and is used to reassert control

9. Unrest across the country was quashed by the army.

   • The most notable was the crushing of the Moscow Soviet uprising led by Social Democrats in December 1905 (resulted in over 1,000 people being killed)

what did the 1905 revolution expose about the tsarist military regime

russia was not as strong a military power as it should have been

• the tsar believed the japanese were an inferior race to the russians but japan defeated it in the war

what did the 1905 revolution expose about the tsar’s divine right to rule russia

the tsar couldn’t rely on the divine right of kings anymore

• a growth in radical secular ideas and decline in the influence of the orthodox church weakened the tsar

• this meant tsar nicholas ii could no longer expect his people to obey him

what did the 1905 revolution expose about the tsar’s use of repression

the tsar had to use reformation not repression

• russian tsars used to use repression to resist reform

• however in 1905 nicholas couldn’t rely on his military forces

• the strength of opposition to the tsar from multiple areas of society pushed nicholas to provide democratic reform

what is the economic long-term cause of the 1905 revolution

poor harvests and economic depression from 1902-5

• famine in 1901

• these led to demonstrations and strikes which were violently suppressed by the army, leading to more bitterness and strikes etc

what is the social long-term cause of the 1905 revolution:

• ethnic groups

• peasants

• workers

• strikes were occurring more often in towns and cities

  • non-russian nationalities were unfairly treated by russification so they wanted their independence

• peasants wanted more land: 1903 and 1904 were called ‘years of the red cockerel’ as peasants set fire to properties

• Workers’ conditions:

  • industrial capitalism (early stages of Industrial Revolution).

  • No secure working conditions. (in the petition at Bloody Sunday they were asking for a 9-5 8 hour day)

how is the russo-japanese war a short-term cause of the 1905 revolution

russo-japanese war

• 1904: russia started a war with japan over manchuria and lost

  • this showed that russia’s army was poorly organised and under-equipped

  • may 1905: japanese navy sank the russian fleet at tsushima

  • fall of port arthur

• the war increased opposition to the tsar

  • it caused issues with food supply

  • humiliation at defear Tsar was the commander-in-chief, attempting to expand in Manchuria (russian imperialism)

how is bloody sunday a short-term cause of the 1905 revolution

on 22nd jan 1905 father gapon led a peaceful protest to the winter palace

• the people had a petition asking for reform

• however the army opened fire on the protestors, starting the revolution

• 200 people died

what is the political long-term cause of the 1905 revolution

• working classes: fell into radical movements that wanted to overthrow the tsar

  • due to discontent over quality of life

• middle classes: wanted a duma system. They wanted representation/liberalism.

  • The bourgeois wanted the liberal freedoms which were typically granted in Europe (similar to the German government)

• peasants: wanted the right to own the land they worked on

how did the tsar use reform to stay in control of the russian empire after the 1905 revolution + who was he trying to appease with this

1. introduced the october manifesto

   • this promised freedom of press/speech/assembly

   • this created the popularly elected duma which met to pass laws

2. but he also adapted the fundamental laws to assert the tsar’s powers over it, including:

   • the tsar’s right to dissolve the duma at any point

   • the tsar as the sole commander of army and navy, giving him military power to crush any uprising

   • the tsar’s right to control the orthodox church

     this was to win back the support of the middle classes while retaining control

how did the tsar use repression to stay in control of the russian empire after the 1905 revolution

he used his army (brought back from ear in the east with japan) to suppress the strikes

• stolypin introduced military courts to hang revolutionary suspects ‘stolypin’s necktie’

  • around 3,000 executions carried out: in an attempt to ‘pacify’ the countryside

• these carried on years after:

  • lena goldfields strike: in 1912, workers at lena goldfields protested against 10-hour working days and terrible living conditions

  • government sent in armed troops who killed 170 workers

what was the difference between the first two and last two dumas

The first two dumas were radical:

• They demanded the tsar make more reforms

• Nicholas quickly closed them down

The third and fourth dumas were weak:

• The government changed the voting laws to

  • Limit the power of peasant voters

  • Increase the number of right-wing parties in the duma

what did the failure of the dumas show about the tsar

It showed the tsar’s lack of commitment to making Russia democratic

• The tsar could have used the duma system to create a constitutional monarchy

• Instead, the tsar made the duma powerless

• this angered many people in the empire

when did tsar nicholas appoint peter stolypin as prime minister

april 1906

what method did stolypin use to govern russia in 1906 + what are some examples of this

carrot and stick method

carrot:

• agrarian reforms: stolypin introduced agrarian reforms to increase support from the peasants and reduce strip farming:

  • A Peasants' Land Bank was introduced: stolypin gave out loans to buy land through the peasant land bank. he wanted more peasants to move out of the mirs and become kulaks (peasants who could afford a farm and labour)

  • peasants permitted to leave communes to farm independently

• local agronomy schools set up

  • to introduce new farming methods

• around one and a half million peasants were transported to Siberia to cultivate land in the more remote parts of the Empire

stick:

• stolypin harshly punished opponents to the tsar:

  • stolypin’s necktie: people referred to the noose as stolypins necktie. over 1,000 dissidents hung and 20,000 exiled

  • okhrana: stolypin used the okhrana to put down riots

how did division against the revolutionaries help tsar nicholas survive the 1905 revolution

there was much infighting between opposition parties, e.g:

• socialists: didn’t want dumas because they knew a democratic system would be dominated by the bourgeoisie + they wanted a workers’ state

  • they hated liberals more than the Tsar in some ways

• kadets: feared if the socialists got into power they would seize kadet property and land and give them up to the government

• social revolutionaries: mainly operated alone in the countryside so were suspicious of parties that envisaged a strong centralised government

this meant the parties couldn’t unite together against the tsar so the overall strength of opposition parties was weakened

how did loyalty of the armed forces help tsar nicholas survive the 1905 revolution

after the potemkin mutiny, soldiers and sailors continued to obey their officers

• st petersburg soviet broken up + leaders arrested: by soldiers when they returned to the capital in november 1905

• the armed forces were reluctant to side with the revolutionaries that did the mutiny so the revolution was stifled and the regime was able to survive

why didn’t stolypin’s reforms work

1. only 10% of peasants (typically richer peasants/kulaks) left the commune and set up private landholdings

   • most refused to leave their communes and did not farm commercially due to the traditional outlook of peasantry and the perceived risk

   • inefficient strip farming continued; little machinery was used and productivity rose by only 0.5% per year

what were tsar nicholas’ workers’ rights reforms + why didn’t they work

• workers allowed to form trade unions

• laws introduced that forced employers to provide pension + accident insurance

however:

• workers encouraged to go on strike: due to formation of trade unions

  • by 1914, 1m+ workers on strike

• most of the workers’ other rights were rarely enforced

  • partly because the police were corrupt

why did the democratic reforms not work

the tsar introduced the fundamental laws quickly

• he used these to continue appointing ministers and retain a veto over all law-making

  • so the duma could only discuss government policy and propose laws

  social democrats’ and kadets demands (e.g. for primary education and redistribution of the land) were thrown out

  the tsar dismissed the duma whenever he wanted

  the okhrana (secret police) continued to arrest and imprison the tsar’s enemies

describe the events of bloody sunday

• It was at the Winter Palace

• Petitioning workers’ rights + Duma

• It was an anti-war march 

• 200-800 casualties due to being shot

list 5 causes of the russian revolution of 1905

• discontent amongst the peasants

  • they were heavily taxed, incredibly poor, and suffered from famines and hunger on a regular basis.

• discontent among industrial workers

  • because they had terrible working and living conditions and very low pay

  • Unemployment was rising in the early 1900s.

• growth in political opposition to Nicholas II f

  • from different groups such as the country's different nationalities and political organisations, such as the Social Revolutionaries.

• Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05

  • Tsar Nicholas II was blamed for the defeat and lost support as a result.

• Bloody Sunday

  • On 22nd January, unarmed civilians led by Father Gapon were shot by tsarist soldiers in St Petersburg.

nicholas ii’s immediate reaction to the 1905 revolution

1. They crushed many of the protests.

   • For example, the army shot the protesters in Odessa and in Moscow in December 1905, when the Moscow Soviet tried to organise an uprising.

2. They closed down the soviets.

   • For example, the St Petersburg Soviet was shut down in December 1905.

3. The tsar issued the October Manifesto on 17th October

   • granted civil rights, a parliament called a Duma, and promised new laws would be discussed by the new parliament.

4. There was a harsh and violent crackdown on any opposition.

   • There were arrests with many people exiled or put to death - more than 1000 people were executed between 1906 and 1907.

list 4 main outcomes of 1905 russian revolution

• Nicholas II and his government survived.

• The strikers and the revolutionaries were defeated.

• The October Manifesto was published.

• A state Duma was created.

list 3 reasons the tsar survived the 1905 revolution

1. The military, on the whole, still supported Nicholas II and crushed the uprisings.

2. He made concessions which pleased the liberals and the middle classes; these changes were detailed in the October Manifesto.

3. The opposition was split between different groups that wanted different things.

What were the reasons for discontent in Russia in 1905?

political, economic, social, and military problems

6 main reasons for discontent in russia in 1905

1. The peasants were exceptionally poor, wanted more land and wanted taxes to be reduced.

2. industrial workers were angry about their working and living conditions, low pay and the high unemployment rates.

3. Middle class people were frustrated they had no say in how the country was run because it was an autocracy. They wanted more freedom, but were afraid of revolution.

4. Non-Russians did not want to be ruled by Russians and wanted their independence

5. There were radical groups that wanted to overthrow the tsar and give power to the workers or peasants.

6. Many people hated the police and secret police because they curtailed their freedom.

why were the peasants angry in 1905

1. The peasants were exceptionally poor, most were subsistence farmers and they needed more land.

2. There were many famines which affected the Russian Empire in the 1890s and 1901. Thousands of people died.

3. The tsar and his government did not deal very well with the famines and the peasants were angry.

4. Many peasants were in debt. From 1861 they were no longer owned by the landowners but had to pay for their freedom.

why were the middle classes angry in 1905

• Many wanted political reforms such as the freedom of speech or the right to vote which had been granted in other European countries.

• Many wanted to remove the tsar and have a written constitution which would give everyone equal rights.

• Many were terrified of the revolutionary political groups that had developed in Russia as the middle class would lose out if a revolution occurred.

• They were frustrated with Tsar Nicholas II's unwillingness to implement political reform.

What caused discontent in the industrial workers in tsarist Russia?

• Their working conditions were awful and dangerous.

• Their pay was very poor.

• Their living conditions were terrible as their pay was so low they could not afford anywhere better to live and often lived in overcrowded conditions.

• Workers suffered from illnesses and often became alcoholics as a result of their living conditions.

why were non-russians angry in russia in 1905

• The Russian Empire contained some 19 different nationalities in the areas conquered by the tsars over the years. Those areas wanted their independence.

• Russia forced 'Russification' on the non-Russian areas.

• Russian people got preferential treatment e.g. Russians were given jobs in the local government in preference to the local people.

describe opposition groups to the tsar in 1905

• Political parties were illegal so people could not express their political views.

• Despite being illegal, political groups that opposed the tsarist regime were set up. For example, groups included the Populists, Social Democrats, Social Revolutionaries, the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks.

• Some groups like the Social Revolutionaries, Social Democrats, the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks wanted to completely remove the tsarist regime through revolution.

why had political opposition been growing by 1905

Some groups wanted to limit the power of Nicholas II.

Some wanted radical change and to completely remove Nicholas II from power.

Most groups wanted to see reforms brought in to improve the social, economic, and political conditions in Russia.

list the opposition groups in 1905

• Liberals (split into the Kadets and the Octobrists)

• the Socialist Revolutionary Party

• the Social Democratic Party

when/why did the russo-japanese war happen

february 1904-september 1905

• Russia wanted to expand its territory in China in an area called Manchuria. This brought Russia into conflict with Japan, which was trying to do the same.

• Tsar Nicholas II wanted a 'short, swift victorious' war to reduce opposition at home which was growing due to deteriorating conditions.

• Russia needed ports that could be used all year as its existing ports froze over in winter.

• The Russians did not believe Japan, as an Asian nation, would be able to beat them as they considered them inferior.

• Russia was considering expanding the Trans-Siberian Railway into Manchuria. The Japanese saw that as a threat to their position in Korea.

key events of russo-japanese war

• February 1904: Port Arthur, a Russian naval base, was attacked by the Japanese.

• September 1904: the Japanese won a major land battle in the Battle of Liaoyang despite having a smaller force.

• January 1905: Port Arthur surrendered to the Japanese.

• February 1905: Russia was defeated in the Battle of Mukden and surrendered it in March to Japan.

• May 1905: at the Battle of Tsushima, the Russian Baltic fleet was defeated by the Japanese navy.

• September 1905: both sides formally ended the war when they signed the Treaty of Portsmouth.

why was the russo-japanese war significant

1. Tsar Nicholas II was blamed for the humiliation of being defeated by Japan, which had been considered a lesser power.

2. The military defeats in the war helped cause the mutiny on the Battleship Potemkin in June 1905.

3. Fighting the war put even more strain on the government's resources and diverted much-needed grain and fuel away from the people, creating even more discontent.

4. It was a key trigger of the 1905 Revolution and Bloody Sunday incident.

what + when was bloody sunday

• Bloody Sunday is the name of a massacre that happened in St Petersburg. Around 200 people were killed

• Bloody Sunday happened on Sunday, 22nd January, 1905 (9th January, Old Style).

why did bloody sunday happen

1. The protesters wanted a constitution which would protect the rights of the people.

2. They marched to present a petition to Tsar Nicholas II complaining about working conditions.

3. They wanted to be able to set up trade unions to protect the rights of workers.

4. They wanted to only work eight hours a day.

5. They wanted a minimum wage of one rouble per day

events of bloody sunday

1. A large group of protesters, made up of workers and their families, gathered in St Petersburg led by Father Gapon.

2. Soldiers blocked the protesters' route to the tsar's palace.

3. Warning shots were fired.

4. Mounted Cossacks attacked the protesters and then the soldiers fired at the crowd.

5. 200 people died and 800 were wounded.

What was the importance of Bloody Sunday in Russia?

The Bloody Sunday massacre encouraged 4 key further protests:

• The Potemkin mutiny in June 1905.

• Peasant riots across Russia between 1905 and 1907.

• Strikes across Russia by workers.

• The creation of soviets, or workers' councils.

Why did Tsar Nicholas II survive the consequences of Bloody Sunday?

1. The army stayed loyal to him and crushed the demonstration.

2. He issued the October Manifesto which won over the middle class and liberals as it appeared to give them power through the setting up of a State Duma, or parliament.

3. Pyotr Stolypin, as Minister of the Interior and then the Prime Minister, used the army and police to crush all political opposition.

4. Any person suspected of being a revolutionary was arrested and imprisoned.

5. Newspapers and trade unions were closed.

6. The opposition was split between different groups such as workers, sailors, peasants and minority nationalities that wanted different things.

potemkin mutiny: describe

• 14th june 1905

• mutiny by sailors on the navy battleship Potemkin over poor quality food. This resulted in the deaths of some officers and sailors.

• The Potemkin sailed to the port of Odessa where strikers and protesters showed their support for the sailors.

• There were riots, which Nicholas II ordered the army to stop. 1,000 people were shot dead.