TO WHAT EXTENT WAS NICHOLAS II THE CASUE OF THE 1905 REVOLUTION

TO WHAT EXTENT WAS NICHOLAS II THE CAUSE OF THE 1905 REVOLUTION?

Nicholas II faced many problems at the beginning of his reign which were magnified because of his incomplete training in becoming tsar. The main problems facing him were that the zemstvas wanted more power and a growth in opposition. He rejected the first “problem” and as such, a number of political parties, both moderate and violent came into being.

The 1905 revolution had two catalysts which were Bloody Sunday and the fact that Nicholas II only offered the liberals a consultative assembly when they wanted a legislative assembly as well. Both of the catalysts were Nicholas II’s fault as he didn’t take the opportunity to appease a sector of opposition and because Bloody Sunday was the result of his mismanagement. Bloody Sunday also tarnished the Protector like image which the peasants held of the Tsar.

Nicholas's inability to lead was only part of the causes of the 1905 revolution. A small piece of a bigger picture. Nicholas’ ultraconservative nationalism led him to oppose all progressive reform and to impose ‘Russification’ on ethnic minorities, instilling powerful discontent throughout the Empire. His disastrous war with Japan in 1904-1905 weakened the regime’s authority, and during 1905 Russia was overrun with immense waves of unrest. Unable to control the growing chaos, Nicholas was finally forced to issue the October Manifesto, creating a legislative Duma and even then it took a policy of brutal repression to slowly restore order ...

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Despite this, the majority of problems resulted from the actions of previous tsars. The process of industrialisation was started off by Alexander III and this created the working class which was a large source of opposition to Nicholas II. In 1904, over 110,000 workers in St. Petersburg went out on strike. In addition to this, a disgruntled middle-class was created. They also became a source of opposition and their demands included the building of a constituent and legislative assembly. It could therefore be argued that the 1905 revolution was caused by economics factors which Nicholas II could not deal with.

The 1905 revolution can be defined by the October General Strike. This can be proved to be the labour of the workers and once again points to the fact that Alexander III created a cause of the 1905 revolution (industrialisation).

The main cause of the revolution was the Russo-Japanese war. Nicholas II saw the possibility of a successful war to divert the discontent of the Russians from his rule. The Russo-Japanese War was a disaster and as such the government was totally discredited in the eyes of the Russian people. The war started the flurry of discontent and as such, it can be argued that Nicholas II was the main cause of the 1905 revolution.

TO WHAT EXTENT WAS NICHOLAS II THE CASUE OF THE 1905 REVOLUTION

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