To stop workers who were concerned about the wages, and working conditions falling in to revolutionary hands, the government decided to set up its own labour unions. The policy was put in to effect in 1901 by General Zubatov, head of Moscow security police. The aim of this was to show workers the benefits of a non revolutionary approach to social problems. Similar organisations were set up in other trade in different areas, but when in 1903 Zubatov unions led strikes in south Russia the employers put pressure on the government to have them disbanded. Therefore workers again found them selves outside society and with no alternative but to support revolutionaries.
The Orthodox Church was turned into a government department called the Holly Synod and was run by a lay official appointed by the Tsar, called the chief procurator. The priesthood expressed favour of the Tsar and autocracy, of a greater Russian nationalism and in hostility towards embers of other churches. The church played a leading part in the russification campaigns waged by the government against the poles and the Jews.
Tsar Nicholas inherited the throne when he was 26; this is a young age for a Tsar. He was well mannered person with a deep affection for his family. Nicholas would much rather spend time with his family than deal with governmental matters. Nicholas would not stand for opposition and violence was always his answer. He was particularly anti Jewish and encouraged pogroms against Jewish settlements. He believed in autocracy and thought democracy with elections and parliaments would lead to the collapse of Russia. Nicholas knew very little about the people. He did not visit factories or villages, or on going tours. His information on what was going on came from his ministers. Who did not always tell him exactly what was going on.
The Tsarina Alexandra, Nicholas wife, had a very different type of personality. Although shy she was strong willed and obstinate. She believed the Tsar had been appointed by God and that it was her duty to support him. She encourages Nicholas to withdraw from public events and spend time with the family. She was determined that Nicholas should not share power with people.
The social revolutionaries opposed the Tsar, they were one of the major groups. Their main ain was to overthrow the Tsar. They appealed to peasants, because they wanted to give them their land back. The tactics they used were violent acts of terrorism to bring the collapse of the government. They were responsible for the deaths of several important government officials. Such as Plehve.
In 1914 85 percent of the population lived in the countryside and most earned living through agriculture. Through the Emancipation Acts of 1861, peasants were set free. The peasants were not given the land on Emancipation but were obliged to pay a form of compensation to their former owners. Since the peasants could not afford to pay for this, the government bought they land from the nobles, then resold it to the peasants at 6 percent interest over forty nine years. The redemption payments were too high for peasants and this lead to arrears in redemption payments. Peasants could not afford to look after their families and many families starved to death.
The struggle of many peasants grew worse as the population in the countryside increased. In 1900 the population grew to 86 million. A feeling of acute land hunger developed and rioting took place in those provinces where land was in short supply. The problem was partly one of land shortage. The backwardness of Russian farming methods, and lack of machinery and fertilizers resulted in a low yield of crops. The peasants believed the problem was from the smallness of their allotments. They also believed this could be remedied by seizing the estates of the nobility.
