Nicholas II Part 2 – Origins of 1905 revolution

1. Nicholas II Part 2 – Origins of 1905 revolution • An economic depression at the turn of the century led to much unrest in the countryside and strikes in the cities. • Bad harvests and low wages led to peasant uprisings and workers strikes. • Even the middle and upper classes complained and wanted change. • Political parties began to be formed. The Social Democrats in 1898, the Social Revolutionaries in 1901, the Liberals from 1902. The Octobrists and Kadets in 1905. • The surprise Japanese attack on the Russian Navy in Port Arthur in Manchuria on the 8 February 1904 was seen as an opportunity to deflect people away from agitation at home by victory overseas. War was initially welcomed by many Russians, until defeat turned public opinion against the government. • Plehve, Minister of the Interior had advised the Tsar to embark on a ‘little victorious war to stem the tide of revolution’. He also thought ‘war would distract the attention of the masses from political questions’.

2. Russo-Japanese War – 1904-5Chronology of Events • 8 February 1904 – Japan attacks Port Arthur. • The Russian Pacific Fleet is blockaded in. • The Japanese finally capture the Port in January 1905. • February 1905 the main Japanese and Russian armies meet at Mukden. After 2 weeks of fighting the Japanese win. • In the interim the Russian Baltic Fleet has been sailing half-way round the world to help the Pacific Fleet. • They reached the Straits of Tsushima between Korea and Japan, the Japanese attacked and destroyed 27 out of the 30 Russian ships. • With Russia humiliated and Japan content at her gains, both side negotiated an American brokered peace, the Treaty of Portsmouth was signed in September 1905. • Under the treaty: • Japan gained Port Arthur, Southern Manchuria and the Southern half of Sakhalin Island. • Korea was recognised as being within Japan’s sphere of influence.

3. Why did the Russian’s lose? • The sheer distance of the battle zone from the source of power. • Reinforcements took too long to arrive as the Trans-Siberian railway was incomplete. • The Russians were poorly organised. ‘One officer waited weeks for ammunition. When a train did arrive he was horrified to find it brought gifts from the Tsar to the men – religious icons’. – in Russia, J. Nichol and K. Shephard. • The Japanese had shorter supply lines.

4. Effects at Home • War revealed the ‘inefficiency, weakness and corruption of the Tsarist State.’ – Years of Russia and the USSR , 1851-1991, D. Evans and J. Jenkins • Plehve was assassinated in July 1904. • Violent protests broke out due largely to the economic situation at home. Bad harvests led to food shortages which in turn led to higher prices and protests in the cities were an inevitable consequence of this.

5. 1905 Revolution – Chronology of Events • An industrial dispute over the sacking of 3 workers in the Putilov metal works in St. Petersburg led to a strike being called and this was supported by most of the 13,000 strong workforce. The strike spread and by 8/21 January 111,000 workers were involved. • Father Gapon decided to lead a peaceful protest the following day, Sunday, to petition the Tsar at his Winter Palace, for improved conditions and for a Constituent assembly. • Father Gapon in a letter to the Tsar the previous day had stated the fact that the protest was against the ministers not the Tsar. The people were appealing to the Tsar to intervene against the Ministers.

6. 1905 Revolution – Chronology of Events (continued) • 200, 000 protesters marched in 5 processions leading to the Winter Palace. Their peaceful intent was shown by the fact many were carrying icons of the Tsar. • The Tsar had already left the city the day before, unbeknownst to the protesters. • Instead they were met by armed guards and Cossack horsemen who charged the crowd. • Hundreds of men, women and children were killed.

7. 1905 Revolution – Chronology of Events (continued) • This led to a general strike in St. Petersburg and protest strikes elsewhere. • There were also peasant disturbances. • Mass political strikes by workers, students and teachers occurred throughout 1905 across Russia. • Rebellions occurred in the Ukraine, Poland, the Baltic States, Finland and the Caucasus. Jews were prominent in these. • Over a quarter of a million troops were needed in Poland alone where there was fighting in the streets.

8. 1905 Revolution – Chronology of Events (continued) • Martial law was declared in the Baltic States where there was virtual civil war. • The army was stretched as it was concurrently embarked in war with Japan, the policing of nationalities and suppression of domestic disturbances. • Soldiers mutinied in garrisons in Vladivostok, Tiflis, Tashkent and Warsaw. • February 1904 – An SR party member assassinates the Tsar’s uncle, Grand Duke Serge Alexandrovich.

9. 1905 Revolution – Chronology of Events (continued) • February – The Tsar tells Bulygin (Minister of the Interior) to draw up plans for an elected assembly, ‘to take part in the preliminary consideration of projects of law’. • March – Georgia declares independence. • 3rd March – Tsar issues reform programme, includes plans for consultative body, the state Duma, but this is too little too late. • May – Japanese defeat Russian Baltic Fleet at Tsushima. • The first Soviet (strike committee) appears. The Soviets were elected from town worker’s. They were modelled on the Commune’s. Soviets appeared in many towns.

10. 1905 Revolution – Chronology of Events (continued) • 14th June – Sailors mutinied on battleship Potemkin in the Black Sea. This was the significant in that it was an act of disloyalty by a group (soldiers) who had previously remained loyal to the Tsar. • June-July – Trade Unions formed illegally. • Union of Unions formed (amalgamation of Union of Zemstva and Union of Liberation (these were members of the professions). They demanded a Constituent Assembly and became better known as the Kadets. • In July Peasants Union formed and held a peasants congress demanding that the land should be made common property and taken out of private hands altogether.

11. 1905 Revolution – Chronology of Events (continued) • June-July – University students strike and make university buildings available for public meetings, they became significant for organising unrest. • At a student congress in Vyborg the Students declared: ‘students must mobilise their forces in the powerful towns and create the possibility of using higher education institutions for the revolutionary agitation and propaganda in the broad masses of the people and undertake measures to organise student fighting squads so that the students, when necessary, can join the general political strike and armed uprising’.

12. 1905 Revolution – Chronology of Events (continued) • August – News arrives of Japan’s defeat of Russia. Nicholas promises a Consultative National assembly, based on high property qualification which would have excluded most workers, all Jews and women. Peasants would elect 43%, landowners 33% and towns 23%. This assembly could eventually evolve into an elected body as demanded by the Zemstva, but it was rejected by the Kadets. • September 19th – Printing workers go on strike and strike spreads to Moscow and St. Petersburg. • October 7th – Railway workers strike and within a few days first general strike. This meant there were too few troops to cope. • October – St. Petersburg workers set up a Soviet, in the Technical Institute, with Trotsky as chairman. The committee was dominated by the intelligentsia and it soon had more power than the city government and coordinated activities across the Soviets, thereby creating the first united opposition to Tsar. Many employers even supported strikes at this time and continued paying their workers half pay.

13. 1905 Revolution – Chronology of Events (continued) • Between 15 October and end of 1905 there were at least 211 mutinies affecting a third of the army in European Russia, which extended to soldiers returning from the war with Japan. • By mid-October it was obvious the government was near collapse and concessions were necessary for it to survive. Nicholas summoned Witte who persuaded Nicholas of the need for concessions. The Tsar was forced to issue the October Manifesto. Another Manifesto followed on 3rd November. These appeared to offer considerable concessions, but it was not long before Nicholas began to reign them in. He published the revised Fundamental Laws on 23rd April 1906. According to Evans and Jenkins (Years of Russia and the USSR, 1851-1991) , ‘the Laws indicated that Nicholas had learned nothing from the events of 1905’.