THE 1905 REVOLUTION The “great dress rehearsal”

THE 1905 REVOLUTION  Discontentment of peasantry  Discontentment of proletariat  Revolutionary agitation  Lack of political participation  Growing nationalist movements  Russo-Japanese War PRECIPITATING FACTORS

THE 1905 REVOLUTION RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR  Russia wanted to secure expansion into Asia  Also meant as way to detract attention from internal problems  But Russian fared poorly – were being beaten by Japanese  Initial patriotism waned  Blamed failures on incompetence of regime

THE 1905 REVOLUTION BLOODY SUNDAY  Workers’ demonstration led by Father Gapon, Jan  Troops open fire, kill 150  Led to disturbances all over country  In cities, workers strike  In countryside, peasants attack landlords  Nicholas II becomes known as “the Bloody”

THE 1905 REVOLUTION THE REVOLUTION SPREADS  General Strike, October 1905  Paralyzes country  Tsar forced to make concessions  OCTOBER MANIFESTO  Creates DUMA  Granted civil & political rights  Legalized political parties Liberals form OCTOBRISTS & CADETS Led to growth of Women’s Movement

THE 1905 REVOLUTION THE RADICAL RESPONSE  Revolutionaries initially refuse to participate in government  Marxist form SOVIETS with workers  alternative government  forums for grievances  But strikes slowly being put down around country ST. PETERSBURG WORKERS’ SOVIET, LED BY LEV TROTSKY

THE 1905 REVOLUTION THE CONSERVATIVE RESPONSE  FUNDAMENTAL LAWS, 1906  Affirms autocracy  Limits power of Duma  Gives Tsar power to dissolve it & pass laws without it  Nicholas dissolves Duma, calls for new elections  But new delegates even more liberal, even some revolutionaries  Changes election laws to ensure conservative Duma

THE 1905 REVOLUTION THE CONSERVATIVE RESPONSE  Police apparatus remains in place  Crack down on revolutionaries  Closed many trade unions  Strikes violently suppressed  Due process largely suspended  Emergence of staunchly conservative forces  BLACK HUNDREDS carry out POGROMS against Jews & radicals

THE 1905 REVOLUTION THE PEASANT PROBLEM  Peasant uprisings greater threat to regime  Govt. unable to control unrest in countryside  Nicholas makes concessions  Reduces & eliminates redemption payments  Grants legal equality  Withdrew support for commune  After 1907, encourages smallholding

THE 1905 REVOLUTION RISE OF NATIONALITIES  Resistance to Russification  Ukrainian nationalists start agrarian uprisings  Violent demonstrations in Poland  Finnish subjects rose demanding autonomy  Bloody clashes in Baltics  Much of Transcaucasian Muslim population in revolt

THE 1905 REVOLUTION Assessments of 1905  Urban & rural uprisings never joined  No real leadership – largely spontaneous  Role of peasantry essential  Created professional politicians  Showed growing & widespread opposition to autocracy  Tsar lost image as “little father” – now called “the bloody”  Tsar could not always count on army  Showed intransigence of regime