2) the 1905 revolution

poltical opposition

1891-92: famine- government had been exposed and sicredited and civil society had mobilised to help

• zemstva pressed for autonomy

• zemstvo man prince lvov demanded the calling of a national assembly

• greater public mistrust

• reformist groups had consequently developed a broader support base by 1900

number of strikes

1894: 17,000

1895-1897: 30,000

1899:100,000

1904:90,000 stikes

growing discontent in towns

• 1901: obukhov factory in st peterbug violence between armed police and cossacks

• 1900: moscow chief of okrohona, zubotov organised police sponsered trade unions- lasted to 1903

• 1904: assembly of St Petersburg factory workers by Father Gapon- approved by minister of internal affairs plehve

• 18960-1897: textile workers in st peterbug- 30,000 stikers- government forced to concede, restricting working day to 11 hours

• 1899: special factory police force established- 100,000 workers on strike

assembly of st petersburg factory workers

• approved by minister of internal affairs plehve

• had 12 branches and 8000 members

growing discontent in countrysides

• 1902-1907: widespread disturbances-arson “year of red cockeral”

• worstin central russian provinces- spread into georgia, ukraine and poland

• stolypin: peasants flogged, arresrtred and exiles, shot- “stolypins necktie”

• 1898-9:famine in central volga region

• 1900- international recession caused depression in Russia

• falling wages and unemployment

• anger about taxes and high rents

• 1902: poltova prvince saw first wave of peasant violnve because land lords withdrawing land

gorwing discontent in unis

• 1891: huge demonstrations when police beat students, arrested leaders and drafted some into army'

• thousands joined SR’s

• ,et with increase of Okrohona

• 1901: a squadron of mounted cossacks charged into a crowd of students in st petersburg killing 13

• 15000 students imprisoned

the russo-japanese war 1904-1905

• russians underestimated japan- had a better trained army

• public support turned to dismay

• russia defeated at mukden

• disaatrous defeats on land and sea led to witte being sent off to negotiate treaty of portsmouth

• showed government was irresponsible, incompetant and recklass

• war acted as a catalyst for meltdown

reaction to war and effects

• july- government very unpopular and assasination of interior, pelhve, met with indifference

• national zemstva congress, over 5000 telegrams urging delegates to press for fundamental change

• series of “banquets” orgonised by union of liberation were political messages

• press hostile to government

• shortage of raw materials: silk, cotton and chemicals

• factories closing

• loss of jobs

• food prising rising

bloody sunday

• 7 Jan: strike over 100,000 workers

• father gapon led march to winter palace to seek help of tsar

• up to 150,000 people

• march was peaceful

• end of january: 400,000 on strike

• demonstrations and disturbances increased

• 4 Feb: tsars own uncle, grand Duke Sergei assasinated

number of deaths- bloody sunday

killed: 130

wounded: 300

course of revolution

• some places gangs/ criminals roamed streets

• right wing groups came out in support of tsar

• workers started to form factory committees to represent themselves

• union of liberation- pressing for political assembly

• hundreds of zemstvas and city councils sent in petitions demanding change

• government, condemned as incompetant and recklass

the peasants

• began seizing land, grain and animals, burning landlord houses, cutting timber illegaly, refusing paty rent and taxes

• peasant unions/ societies: eg all russian peasant union

• armyused to bring down peasants out were composed of peasants, mutinies began to spread

the nationalities

• demanded autonomy, democratic governmentand end of russification

• poles and finns demanded independance

• Causacas-officials were attacked

• dispatched 10,000 troops to Georgia to keep it under control

• Poland, civil war and tsar kept 300,000 soldiers there

• russians troops shot 93 poles who took part in bloody sunday

mutiny of battleship potemkin

• 19th june: crew mutinied over harsh conditions

• arrival ship recieved by huge crowds

• troops ordered to open fire and killed 2000 citizens

matters come to a head

• general stike called

• started with sprinters and spread to railway workers who brought railways to holt

• 2 million workers supported strike

• food/medical supplies ran short

• formation of St Petersburg soviet to co-ordinate strikes

october manifesto

• nicholas advisors/ general believed reforms needed

• 17th october: october manifesto

• civil liberties: freedom of speech/ end of censorship

• elected duma

• first step towards constitutional government

• st oetersburg soviet called off general stike since it was bringing hardship

• newspapers/publications flourished

• liberal political parties: kadets and octobrists

• right winf parliamentart gangs called black hundreds: burning of jewish houses and businesses, rape and looting., over 3,000 jew murdered in last two weeks of october 1905

why did tsar survive: disunity of opposition

• allianced of groups had different aims and beliefs in actions

• only briefly had a common cause

why did tsar survive: lack of leadership

• revolutionary activists (lenin) werea abroad

• apart from trotsky whose marxist views detered other groups

why did tsar survive: rage, not revolution

• mass protests to force concessions not to overthrow tsar

why did tsar survive: black hundreds

• december 1905: attacked revolutionaries and nationalist poles

why did tsar survive: timely concessions

• gave concessions to peasants and liberals

• controlled workers through repression

why did tsar survive: ending russo-japanese war

• removed pressures that war exerted

• vital for maintaining support of army

why did tsar survive: army

• willing to destroy soviets

• violence used against moscow soviet to end strike

• helped restore roder

why did tsar survive: 4 pillars

• support of orthodox church, bureacracy, army and okrohona

• helped tsar survive revoltuion with all powers in tact

• achieved through french loan, state council, fundamental laws and electorol law of 1907