Quotes and Statistics - Bloody Sunday

Leo Tolstoy wrote an open letter to Nicholas II in 1902... (Quotes)

"General dissatisfaction of all classes..." and "Impossible to maintain this form of government except by violence."

-Painted a picture of the current situation. The famines, the heavy taxation, the violence.

Who was assassinated on 15th July 1904?

Minister of the Interior Vyacheslav Plehve or just Plehve

What allowed this?

The lack of military presence because of the Russo-Japanese war.

Who replaced him?

Prince Pytor Sviatoplk-Mirskii or just Mirskii

What did he do?

- Eased censorship
- Worked with the zemstovs (local self government)
- Liberal ideals

What did Mirskii say to Tsarina Alexndra in the Natinoal Congress of Zemstvos?

"If we do not ahead with liberal reform, change will come in the shape of revolution."

How did Nicholas respond?

Rejected most proposals.

"I shall never... agree to the representative form of government." - Tsar Nicholas to Witte.

- Incompetence and not being able to see the incoming revolution and change.

What sparked Bloody Sunday?

- In Dec 1904, 4 Putilov Steelworks workers were dismissed.
- In response, 120,000 workers striked in St Petersburg in early Jan 1905.
- Living conditions (1904, average of six people lived in each room in the major cities), overcrowding, etc.

How many people were at Bloody Sunday?

- 150,000-200,000 marched.

When was Bloody Sunday?

9th January 1905

Was the march peaceful or not?

- Peaceful, with religious icons, potraits of the Tsar and singing hyms.

"Soldiers do not shoot at the people." - A banner said

What did the Bloody Sunday demand?

- Political, economic and social reform.

How many were killed/injured?

200 killed and 800 injured by the police firing

What did the Bloody Sunday Petition say?

"We are treated not like humans, but like slaved who must suffer a bitter fate and keep silent."

What were the effects?

- More strikes at the end of Jan 1905, over 400,000 went on strike in St Petersburg.
- Damage to the Tsar's reputation, "Bloody Nicholas." as he's blamed for it.
- ALL LEADING TO THE 1905 REVOLUTION

What did Gapon say?

"And this is the work of our Little Father, the Tsar."

- Use to push on the idea that it was the Tsar's decision to fire instead of reform.
- Use if you want to blame the Tsar

What did the New York Times say?

"It was the duty of the Russian Autocrat to prove himself a man... Nicholas II has not done that."

- Use if you want to blame the Tsar and how he influenced the 1905 rev.