The 1905 Revolution had a negative effect on the Tsarist support from the working classes of Russia. The Imperial Guard – those who protect the Tsars from danger - opened fire on an unarmed march of demonstrators on their way to the palace to present a petition to the Tsar. It is believed roughly 200 of the demonstrators were shot dead from the 200,000 strong crowd who peacefully marched their way to the Palace. The Tsarist regime, already weakening, was failing at this stage and this fatal act illustrated the death of the Tsarist regime and the decreasing support of the lower and working classes. This was an inconsiderate act towards the people who were to trust the Tsarist regime and have trust in Nicholas himself.
Furthermore, the 1905 Revolution had developed a mass of strikes and protesting in the Russian cities as they lost faith in the Tsarist state. The matter had not been helped by mutiny of the army. It was estimated more than 400 army units failed to obey orders given to them by their superiors at this stage. Without the power of these army units, the citizens of Russia would be difficult to control and would be more likely to fight against the Tsarist state and how it was governed; not ideal if Tsarism was to survive as hoped.
These complications did bring reasons for survival with the presentation of the October Manifesto of 1905. Nicholas II had to be persuaded by the chief minister, Witte, to make concessions, demonstrating his lack of leadership skills. The control of the army was enough to survive as those still willing to fight were loyal to the Tsar. An important point to remember is that the army consisted mainly of peasants who had very little rights, therefore the army officers also had very little rights but also had weapons. Civil rights were granted to the citizens do there was more freedom, as was freedom of the press. The General Strike as a result of the 1905 revolution was called off. Things were looking up for the Tsar and his autocracy as the citizens of Russia were achieving more freedom and rights, but there were other problems illustrating strain.
The population in Russia persisted to increase which led to too little space for too many people. This was an issue for the Tsarist regime as the army and state police could not keep up with or control the people of Russia. This increase led to shortage of land for farmers and peasants in rural areas. Lack of land produced less food which meant food shortages; certainly an issue as it played a significant part over the years into the Revolution of 1917 which was the final blow to the collapse of the Tsarist regime. This is down to farm and train workers (an estimated 15 million men) being put to war in 1914. Few people working on farms and trains meant issues for the citizens as food was not being produced nor was the produced food being transported to the people. The army were given priority when it came to food and so bread rationing in the cities occurred. A rise in prices for food made Petrograd (St. Petersburg was renamed as a patriotic gesture) furious and if the people weren’t supporting the results of the war, they were definitely not supporting the reign of Nicholas.
Nicholas’ wife, Alexandra, was left in power of Russia as her husband thought it best to lead the army himself on the front in 1915. Signs of a failing autocracy were shown as Nicholas II was still just as weak willed and indecisive; he would not get far if he wished to lead the army himself. Alexandra did not know how to handle World War 1, and was extremely unpopular during this period. This was because of her German heritage, and as the German’s were incredibly unpopular, she was seen as the enemy, plotting against the country she reigned with her husband. It does not help matters that she was also dependent on Rasputin - a healer who she believed kept her hemophiliac son alive - who was also unpopular but managed to gain a voice in politics through having close relations with the Tsars. As she was unsure how to handle the war and the government, she continued to assign ministers who were hopeless and did little to supervise or encourage what should be done. Therefore Nicholas and Alexandra each failed at their appointed duties and was definitely blamed to an extent for the Russian defeat to Germany. The Tsarist regime failed with the assistance of World War 1 and the problems it presented to them combined with the public knowledge of Rasputin and his relationship with the Tsars.
The military during the First World War were not equipped for the job. There was a shortage in much needed items such as boots, ammunition and medicines and were a high number of casualties and major defeats in 1914 to 1915. Many soldiers who had served prior to the war had been killed and were replaced by peasants who were not as loyal. This led to increasing rates of desertion - up to one million by 1916. An army who had not been equipped with essentials being led by a leader who was not a strong military commander unquestionably demonstrated a failure in the Tsarist regime and its likelihood of surviving.
Food shortages and high prices in January 1917 causing uproar in the streets of Petrograd. The industrial workers began striking as they wanted higher wages as a result and by February, the strikes were reaching the severity of destruction to property. Instead of higher wages, workers were losing their jobs which brought more strikes and demonstrations in the cities. When commanded to calm down, the workers refused and even the soldiers began joining in on the demonstrations as a means of ending the war. When Nicholas II heard of disorders in the streets, he called for action to be taken and the army opened fire yet again on the strikers. This did not work as the demonstrations did not calm down, nor were the demonstrators willing to back down. The Tsar was losing not only the war against Germany, but also the war against his own people. By now, it was to be expected that Tsarism was to fall.
There was no hope for the Tsar and his governing to survive from the beginning. Several factors contributed to his downfall, not only World War 1. The combination of these factors; the discontent and mutiny of the army, discontent of the working classes and peasants, his own personality and dependency on his wife, increasing population and food shortages, would have indefinitely brought the Tsarist regime crashing down without the war. It was only a matter of time before this would happen, and it was surprising that the autocracy had survived for so long.
