- Alienated Intelligentsia; middle class liberals who wanted to participate in government and wanted some form of elected national assembly, result, students protested against repressive government controls.
- Socialist Revolutionaries; wanted peasant revolution to create socialism based around peasant communes.
- The Socialist Democrats (Marxists) who wanted urban working classes to stage a revolution to create a socialist state, then communism.
- National minorities such as, Finns, Poles and Jews who wanted independence and most of all to end the policy of russification.
- Peasants, who had problems such as poverty, lack of land, over raised taxes and redemption payments on land. They suffered from periodic famines and increasing population was putting pressure on the existing land.
- Workers, who suffered from long hours in work, low pay and terrible working and living conditions. They also wanted more political power.
As Russia in 1905 were still being led by the ‘old-fashioned’ Tsarist Regime it led to many other problems. The Tsarist Regime at the time was weak and led by an indecisive Tsar. They had a cruel and brutal government and there was no indication of a movement towards a constitutional government. The people were denied basic freedoms such as free press and the freedom to form political parties. They were not allowed to disagree against any of the Tsars decisions.
From the Peasants and Workers many problems arose, the economic slump after 1902 led to high unemployment and social tension in towns and the poor harvests in 1900 and 1902 led to starvation and violence in the countryside.
The main fuel for the explosion was due to the ‘Outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War in February 1904, where the defeats on land and at sea shocked the Russian public. In January 1905 Russia lost Port Arthur. The War caused many shortages of fuel, food, high prices and unemployment. Huge upsurges of discontent as the Tsar’s government perceived to be incompetent. Finally on Sunday 22nd January 1905 ‘Black Sunday’ dawned, Tsar’s troops fired upon peaceful demonstrators without warning. Finally in 1905 the revolution began Tsar was at war with his own people; strikes, uprisings, petitions, riots and demonstrations were through the roof.
Reasons for why the Tsarist Regime survived,
There were quite a few reasons for why the Tsarist Regime survived, firstly because the protesters felt that because Tsar Nicholas II was only young, he was under the influence of his advisors and that he could not have a say. The main piece of evidence to support this statement was because the demonstrators carried pictures of the Tsar and ‘We love the Tsar.’ They also thought that the Tsar’s advisors were actually making the decisions.
Tsar Nicholas’ main idea was to allow for reform by splitting the opposition in two. He later in October released the ‘October Manifesto,’ Allowing free speech, free assembly and the ‘Duma,’ a consultative assembly. He allowed basic civil rights. He arranged for Tax reforms, where mortgages, redemption dues remaining from the Emancipation reduced. He allowed for repression of the working class-Soviets closed down: Trotsky arrested.
The main concept of the Tsars Reform was loyalty of his armed forces. If the Tsar has respect of the armed forces then the Regime survives. With the exception of the few mutinies in Sevastapol, Kronstadt and onboard the battleship Potempkin the armed forces generally supported the government. The Repression was simply solved with the brutal tactics of the Cossacks and ‘Black Hundreds.’
