Revolution of 1905-1907: events before the revolution, "bloody Sunday", the growth of the rebellious wave, the extinction of revolutionary unrest, the end of the revolution, the results of the revolution

From this article you will learn detailed information about the revolution of 1905-1907.

The Russian revolution of 1905-1907 went beyond the traditional bourgeois revolution. It became the first historical event that revealed the crisis of the country's power structures and caused changes in the whole world.

By the beginning of 1905, the contradictions within the Russian Empire escalated to the limit. The tsarist government was unable to rectify the current situation.

Events before the revolution

At that time, the main political directions in Russia were:

• ConservativesThe basis of which was the nobles and higher officials. The core of their program was the preservation of the autocracy, supported by the bourgeoisie and the peasantry. It was supposed to create a representative authority with legislative activities.
• Liberals, which included, mainly representatives of the middle bourgeoisie, the nobility, employees, professors and advocacy. Their political platform was based on the abolition of the monopoly of the nobility, civil rights and freedoms, reforms and cooperation with the authorities.
• Radical democratic forces, Which included mainly a radical intelligentsia. Representatives of these political parties sought to express the interests of the working class and peasantry, demanding the abolition of autocratic power and the proclamation of the democratic republics.

The revolution of 1905-1907 covered the widest masses in the center of the country and on its outskirts.

Various layers of society took part in the events:

• Working class.
• Peasants.
• Intelligentsia.
• Students.
• Representatives of various national communities.
• Soldiers and sailors.

The reasons caused the beginning of revolutionary events were:

• The evasion of the authorities from the implementation of liberal reforms. The Russian Empire was the only capitalist state without parliament and legal parties.
• Protracted agrarian crisis. Europe began to purchase grain from America, as it was cheaper than Russian. This led to a rather difficult situation in Russia, since the grains were its main goods for export.
• The decline in industry.
• Lack of civil freedoms.
• Low living standards of the vast majority of the population. Despite the fact that taxes increased by 5 percent.
• Terror and provocations from the police system.
• Infringement of the rights of national minorities, especially Jewish nationality. The restrictions that applied to the Jews led to the fact that many young people of this nationality participated in terrorist activities and the organization of rebellions.
• The defeat of Russia in the war with the Japanese Empire and the growing state external debt, which has been formed since the war with the Turks.  On the eve of the revolution, the basis of revolutionary unrest was peasant riots and strikes of the proletariat.

Peasantry

It was the rural crisis of Russia that became the key point of the 1905 revolution. At the beginning of the 20th century, he caused an increase in the number of “agrarian riots” throughout the country. Often, peasants organized attacks on the possessions of the landowners.

The reasons were the position of the peasantry:

• During the events described, the estate of the peasants in Russia was the most numerous. It amounted to more than 70% of the country's population. This class was the most powerless and poor, since the requisitions and taxes selected about 70% of the income from the peasant farm. In addition, population growth caused a decrease in land allotments by 1.5-2 times.
• The government desire to maintain grain export at all costs, despite the crop failures, caused hunger at the end of the 19th century.
• The purpose of the peasant movement was the redistribution of land allotments at the expense of land owners, and the right to free movement.

Proletariat

The operation of the working class at that time was also very high:

• With an official 11-hour working day, the work for 13-14 hours remained the norm.
• The wages were very low. Entrepreneurs took most of the ruble earned by the employee.
• State authorities did not interfere in relations between the capitalists and their employees. Employers could fire the worker without explanation only for political views.

The working class organized rallies and pickets with the requirements of raising wages and reducing the pressure of employers.

Also, students were also active in mass skirmishes, who were often expelled from universities for political views and revolutionary activities, were given to soldiers and sent to exile. At the beginning of the century, student demonstrations and strikes were the norm. And their dispersal by police and Cossacks led to even greater politicization of young people.

The tsarist government, through repression and suppression of strikes, did not solve the problem, but only made them even more acute. All this led to an increase in political stress. It became absolutely obvious that the country was needed by radical reform of the work of power organs.

"Bloody Sunday"

He pushed to the revolution the execution by the authorities of the procession of unarmed people, which occurred in St. Petersburg on January 9, 1905. This sad event in history is called "Bloody Sunday."

The main participant in the incident was the largest permitted working organization in Russia-“Assembly of Russian Factory Workers in St. Petersburg”-under the leadership of Priest George Gapon.

Brief chronology of those events:

• At the end of 1904, a meeting of Gapon and other leaders of the “Assembly” with members of the liberal organization “Union of Liberation” took place. The Union was proposed to make a political petition calling the public to participate in the management of the country and the restriction of bureaucratic power.
• In December, for political views, the administration of the Putilov plant was dismissed by four members of the Gapon organization.
• The workers demanded to restore the dismissed, but the administration of the enterprise refused to do this.
• Putilov workers on January 3 began to strike. Within a few days, all city enterprises joined them.
• The priest Gapon was proposed to treat the petition about the needs of workers for the emperor. Also in the petition, a number of requirements were listed that were political coloring (free education, a decrease in the working day, freedom of citizens, etc.). The document was signed by tens of thousands of people. People were invited to gather on Sunday on January 9 at the Winter Palace in order to present a petition to the Russian king.
• The tsarist government was previously aware of the content of the petition and the upcoming procession. A decision has been adopted not to allow the workers to appear at the Winter Palace. It was ordered to stop them, if necessary, by force.
• The authorities pulled into St. Petersburg military forces of about 30 thousand soldiers.
• On Sunday morning, on January 9, columns of workers were pulled from different city quarters to the center. One column was headed by Gapon himself, holding a cross in his hands. The total number of people involved in the procession was up to 150 thousand people.
• The tsarist army officers demanded that the workers stop the movement, threatening the shots. But people continued their journey to the palace, believing in the humanity of the “prince-priest”.
• The military was forced to disperse the rifles running shots, as well as sabers with nagikes. According to official documents, 130 people were killed on that day and 299 were injured.
• The whole society was shocked by the execution of unarmed people. Messages about what happened quickly spread underground newspapers and leaflets. The influence of revolutionary political parties on mass consciousness has increased significantly.
• Opposition forces assigned all the responsibility for the bloody events on the emperor of Russia - Nicholas II. The people called for the overthrow of the autocratic device.

Demonstrating violence, government authorities themselves pushed the country to subsequent events. The use of military force in relation to unarmed workers inflicted irreparable damage to the tsar’s prestige. The bloody reprisal against a peaceful procession stirred the whole country. Excresses and riots began everywhere. The first revolution in Russia took place in several stages.

1905 - an increase in the rebellious wave  

After the terrible events that occurred on January 9, a revolutionary movement was intensified in Russia. In different cities, workers and students were formed in support of the executed procession and arranged demonstrations. In industrial areas, councils of workers' deputies were organized.

Emperor Nicholas II at the end of January signed a decree according to which a special commission was created in order to study and eliminate the reasons for the indignation of the workers. The commission included representatives of the bureaucratic authorities, factories and deputies from workers. Political requirements were immediately rejected.

However, it was they who put forward the working class:

• The liberation of political convicts.
• Freedom of speech and printed publications.
• The resumption of closed departments "Meetings".

At the end of February, the commission was recognized as unsuccessful and the king’s decree was dismissed.

The events of that year unfolded as follows:

• After the decree of Nicholas II to the Senate on the permission of the tsarist name of recommendations for improving the improvement of the state, various political organizations, and public leaders, the possibility of involving the population in legislative activities was everywhere.
• In April, the tsarist government issued a decree on the freedom of religion, which allowed other religions.
• Political unrest covered not only the civilian population, but also the military - the naval forces of the country. In June of that year, a rebellion was raised on the battleship “Prince Potemkin-Tauride” sailors. The rebels sentenced the commander with the doctor to death. In total, seven were killed on the ship. The battleship managed to break into open waters. However, the rebels were forced to surrender to the authorities in Romania, since they did not have food and fuel reserves.
• In the same month, a major uprising was raised in the cities of Riga, Lodz, Warsaw.
• The country was seized with a wave of terror against representatives of state power. During this period, many governor generals, mayor, police officers, city gendarmes were killed.
• In August, the State Duma was approved by the Russian emperor. Its institution was engaged in A.G. Bulygin. The Duma was conceived as a legislative higher body discussing the laws, expenses and revenues of the state, estimates of various ministries. By establishing the Duma, the Russian government was counting on the support of conservative, monarchically -minded forces, especially for peasants.
• However, soldiers, sailors, women, landless peasants, students and some other social strata of society did not have the right to participate in the elections. Therefore, most of the Russian population did not accept the Duma of Bulygin.
• In October, they began to strike in Moscow. This strike quickly became the All -Russian strike, whose participants were up to 2 million employees of enterprises and the railway. The autocratic power staggered. Nicholas II had to go to the rebels. The manifesto, which was signed on October 17, the people were guaranteed by the people's inviolability, as well as freedom of speech and conscience.
• The government began reforms, a representative office of the parliament was created. The liberal forces of the country cease revolutionary activity and agree to dialogue with the government.
• But the granted freedoms did not satisfy the requirements of radical political parties, focused not on parliament, but to armed overthrow of power. The unrest covered not only workers, but also military and sailors. The government began a rigid struggle against the revolution. The repressions from the authorities did not stop. A demonstration of workers was shot in Minsk.
• In the fall, the country was seized with a wave of peasant riots, the purpose of which was to capture county lands.

• The rebels of sailors in Sevastopol and Kronstadt rose.
• In December, mass riots in large cities of Russia reached the highest scope. The armed uprising in Moscow rose, which lasted a week. However, the advantage at this time was on the side of the authorities. The uprisings were brutally suppressed.

1906 - extinction of revolutionary unrest

After the end of the Russo-Japanese war, revolutionary unrest begins to subside:

• In the spring, the government allowed the formation of political and trade unions, workers' councils.
• I began their work of the I State Duma, most members of which are cadets. In July, P.A. Stolypin became its chairman.
• Important legislative acts were adopted. They approved the new political system of Russia - the Duma Monarchy.
• Excitements and strikes continue in various fields, including the fleet and the army.
• In the summer, a decree is issued on military courts, which were an extraordinary measure in the struggle of state authorities with acts of terrorism and other revolutionary actions. The court hearing was held behind closed doors without a prosecutor and defender. The death sentence was carried out within two days, and was carried out within 24 hours.

• In November, a decree was issued, according to which peasants are allowed to leave their community with the ground.
• The enterprises install a 10-hour working day. In addition, by decree of the tsarist government, wages are increasing.

1907 - ending the revolution

• In February, the II State Duma is convened. Due to the increase in price, the majority is not able to take part in the elections.
• The country continues in the country, but the government manages to restore control of the country.
• After the elections of the I and II of the State Duma, it became obvious that the new authority is unproductive, since it practically did not have legislative rights.
• On June 3, 1907, the II State Duma blooms with Stolypin. This day is considered the end of the Russian first revolution.

The results of the revolution of 1905-1907

The first Russian revolution, which had a bourgeois-democratic color, played a significant role in the history of the country and its further development. The main achievement was the restriction of autocratic power and the birth of parliamentarism in the country. This was the first step in transforming a political structure into a constitutional monarchy.

The rebels have achieved many results:

• The cancellation of the redemption payment for the peasantry.
• Restrictions on the arbitrariness of the zemstvo government.
• Permits for the free movement of peasants and the choice of a place of residence.
• The possibilities of representatives of the bourgeoisie take part in politics.
• Inviolability of personality.
• Freedom of the press and words.
• Reducing the duration of the working hours.
• Legalization of trade unions and some political parties.
• Cancellation of censorship restrictions.
• Creating the basis for agrarian reform.

In addition, the revolution of imperial Russia served as an example for uprisings in other countries:

• Turkey (1908)
• Iran (1909)
• Mexico (1910)
• China (1911)

And although the bourgeois-democratic revolution in Russia could not solve many internal social problems, it changed the worldview of the masses and made it possible to realize its strength and power.   These factors prepared the basis for the revolution in 1917.

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