The factory workers consisted of 15% of the population. Their living conditions were very similar to those of a peasant. They too were poor, often hungry and lived and worked in appalling conditions. They worked long hours for low wages and even women and children were forced to work. They were uneducated and many could not afford to rent a house - this led to many of them living in the factory in which they worked. In 1898 the Social Democratic Party (S.D.P) was formed under the leadership of Gregory Plekhanov, Vladimir Liych Ulyanov (Lenin) and Leon Trotsky. The major aim of this party was to spread anti – Czarist propaganda and overthrow Nicholas II. They too were Revolutionaries. However, in 1903 the S.D.P split in to two groups – the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks. The Bolsheviks wanted to overthrow the Czarist Government by force whereas the Mensheviks (although having the same intentions) aimed to achieve it with less violence i.e. strikes and demonstrations.
The middle classes made up the minority of those who were discontent; they were only a minor 3% of the population. The middle classes, unlike the peasants and factory workers, were well educated professional people e.g. lawyers and doctors. Whereas the peasants and factory workers lived in poor conditions the middle class people had a high standard of living with material comforts. Despite their relative wealth they too were unhappy because they had no Political Power – they were not involved in the Government of the country. They wanted a political system based on elections and a Parliamentary democracy. The Liberals led the middle class, they demanded a say in the government of the country, political power and opposed a working class revolution.
A short- term cause of the revolution was the Russo – Japanese War. At the beginning of 1904 both Japan and Russia showed interest in Manchuria. Russian troops were sent to Manchuria to protect Russian interests in this region. Japan viewed the Russian moves as a direct threat. A war looked very likely between the two countries and the prospect of such a war pleased Nicholas II. He believed that if a war occurred it would divert attention from the discontent in Russia. It was expected that Russia would win as Japan were a fairly weak power. Victory would increase the popularity of Nicholas and his Government and make the chances of demonstrations/strikes unlikely. During the month of February 1904, the Japanese launched an unprovoked attack on Port – Arthur (Russia). The war saw heavy casualties on both sides. Surprisingly the Japanese were victorious. The Battle of Mukden again was a Japanese victory. The Battle of Tsushima Straits signalled the end of a war. In the peace treaty of Portsmouth, Japan gained Korea and Port – Arthur and Russia had to withdraw from the region. This made Nicholas II very unpopular at home. The war disunited the people further and there were demands to overthrow the Czarist System.
The ‘spark’ of the revolution was known as ‘Bloody Sunday’. The factory workers believed that Nicholas was misled and he would make changes if he knew of the real sufferings. In January 1905, Father Gapon led thousands of factory workers to the Czars Winter Palace at St.Petersburg. They went on a peaceful petition march asking for:
- Better working conditions and an eight hour days work
- The right to hold political meetings and the right to have uncensored press
- The right to have an elected Russian Parliament
However, Nicholas was not at the Palace that day. Chaos developed as the marchers drew close to the Palace. After fire-warning shots the troops opened fire on the unarmed demonstrators and over a thousand people were killed. When news of it broke in Russia it caused anger and horror throughout the country. Revolution looked ripe.
The people of Russia showed their anger towards the Government of Nicholas through strikes and demonstrations all over Russia. Peasants burned down the houses of their landlords and seized the land for themselves. Chaos and disorder spread throughout Russia and the Government became nervous. In June 1905, the crew of the battleship Poternkin mutinied. This was very worrying for the Government as it showed that the Czar could no longer rely on his armed force. If there was discontent amongst the armed forces Nicholas would not be able to stop the riots and demonstrations leading to lack of control. It was therefore vital that Nicholas kept control of his army. In October 1905, a general strike spread from Moscow to other cities. All opposition groups were united in making changes. The Soviet of Workers Deputies was later formed. They were elected by the factory workers and took over the leadership and organization of the strikes and demonstrations. They were in effect controlling the revolution. They published propaganda pamphlets and organized essential supplies for the strikers. The Soviets were revolutionary committees working for the overthrow of the Czarist Government and were therefore a great threat. Nicholas was now in a dangerous position, the majority of the Russian population were against him and success was going their way. This worried Nicholas and in order to overcome this problem he issued the October Manifesto. This was seen as a great turning point in event as it promised people:
- Freedom of speech
- An elected Parliament
This seemed to indicate that Nicholas was at last giving away some of his political power and it seemed that they were slowly becoming democratic. After the October Manifesto the middle – class seemed satisfied as they thought they had gained some political power. The peasants and factory workers, however, were less satisfied, as they didn’t trust the Czar. The Government now felt in a much stronger position. The opposition had divided and the Government therefore responded by its usual strong-arm tactics, against the remaining strikers, demonstrators and revolutionaries. Nicholas was not to be trusted, he later turned his back on what he had promised and Nicholas regretted the October Manifesto. He had only granted the October Manifesto because of the General Strike and the weakness of the Government at the time. After the strike was over and its leaders in prison he opposed any idea of a Parliament with any real powers.
Conclusion:
In my opinion, although the Czar wasn’t overthrown there were a few successful developments. The Russian Revolution failed in the sense that it did not see the collapse of Nicholas or the Czar. However, it could be seen as a success as it showed that if the conditions were serious enough the system could be overthrown. It also became clear that any revolution would not succeed if the army remained loyal to the Czar. Nicholas should have seen the events of 1905 as a warning, as if the people of Russia were angry enough they would use force to achieve their demands.
