"The Russo-Japanese war was the most important cause of the 1905 revolution" To what extent do you agree with this interpretation?

“The Russo-Japanese war was the most important cause of the 1905 revolution”

To what extent do you agree with this interpretation?

In 1905, Russia saw growing discontent throughout the country, leading to a revolution, which was sparked off by many different factors. Many historians believed that the most important cause of the revolution was the Russo-Japanese War, as it was the first major turning point in the lead up to the revolution. Therefore I Believe that the Russo-Japanese War was an important cause of the revolution but arguably there was other important causes, for example rural, urban and political problems.

Clearly, the Russo-Japanese War was an important cause of the revolution as it triggered many strikes and revolts in Russia and also caused distress within the Russian Army. In 1904, the Japanese laid siege on Port Arthur, which led to a war between Russia and Japan after several years of clashes between their imperialist’s ambitions in the Far East. It was also an aim for Russia to distract their population of poor living conditions and to increase the morale and opinions of the Army, which had been tainted from the Crimean War, as they believed that it would be a quick and easy victory. However, they were proved wrong and after a humiliating defeat the government’s incompetence came to light and the revolutionary pressure was increased. Therefore, it can be seen that the war did aid the revolution to become visible and so was an important cause of the 1905 revolution. But it can also be seen that the other problems must have been brewing in Russia leading to a revolution, as a short-term factor does not have the soul influence on a revolution of this size.

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A number of long-term and short-term problems caused social unrest in rural areas, which led to the 1905 revolution. Long-term problems in the rural areas caused many problems for the peasants. The biggest problem was the emancipation of the Serfs in 1861. This left great problems in rural areas including redemption taxes, lack of land and also the fact that the Mir still remained very strong. This caused great discontent within the population. To add to the discontent there was also a famine in 1891, which led to many grudges being held towards the Tsar. Short-term problems within the rural areas included two famines one in 1900 and one in 1902. Both of these led to low morale within the peasants. Again these famines were blamed on the Tsar after the emancipation of the serfs where they lost a lot of land. The reduced morale also indirectly affected the economic depression. So, it can be said that the rural problems caused great distress in Russia and played an important role on the lead up to the revolution.

The problems though, did not stop in rural areas they were also apparent in the urban areas, these factors were also important in the revolution. Long-term problems in urban areas were contributed to by problems from the great spurt and rapid growth leading to poor conditions and so low morale and misery in towns; this caused many workers to revolt. An example of the revolt was in the Putilov factory where two men were sacked for no apparent reason. This angered the proletariat and with the depression as well caused many of them to strike and later confront the Tsar. This led to Blood Sunday when the workers were shot down in cold blood. This smashed the Tsar mystique of being the Father of the Nation and turned many people against him. So, it is also valid to say that the urban problems were an important cause of the revolution and also that Bloody Sunday can be regarded as trigger cause.

Greater depression in rural and urban areas led to increased political opposition against the Tsar which ultimately was an important problem leading to the revolution. The main opposition towards the Tsar was from the middle class who wanted a louder political voice. After their small taste of power with the Zemstva during Alexander II reign many wanted this power back. Nicholas also faced a problem from the different nationalities in Russia who all wanted their own impendence and autocracy. This shows that political problems did contribute to the 1905 revolution.

On conclusion, I believe that the Russo-Japanese War was an important cause of the 1905 revolution but it was not thee soul problem. I feel that without the other problems the revolution would not of started and that all of the problems play an equally important role in the lead up to the revolution. I also believe that the most significant cause was Bloody Sunday, which is regarded as the trigger for the revolution.

Stacey Griffin

13HF