The revolution of 1905 (A level History)

From WikiTextbook

There were many causes of the revolution in 1905, some short-term and some long-term. The long-term causes were:

Poor working conditions
Lack of political reforms
Government repression
Peasant discontent r.e. redemption payments

Short-term causes were:

Russian performance in the Russo-Japanese war
Economic slump leading to unemployment
Food shortages (caused by war)
The 'Bloody Sunday' massacre

A number of revolutionary groups existed before 1905. After the revolution in that year some became more important than others. What follows is a list of some of the more popular revolutionary groups and a brief statement of their aims:

The Liberals

These were people who wanted to change Russia politically and/or socially through a reformation of the Tsarist system. They were divided into two main camps, the Octobrists and the Kadets. The former were loyal to the Tsar and believed in maintaining the Russian Empire. They got their name from the October Manifesto which was signed by Tsar Nicholas II in 1905 after the revolution. The manifesto set up the Duma. The Octobrists were mainly from the industrial and commercial classes. The Kadets, or Constitutional Democrats, were formed after 1905 and were the largest Liberal party. They were made up of landlords and small-time industrial and commerical businessmen. They wanted a constitutional monarchy with the powers of the Tsar limited by a national assembly.

The Populists

These believed that the peasants would eventually overcome the tyrannical nature of tsardom, despite their leaders coming predominantly from the middle and upper classes. These leaders went to the countryside to live with peasants in order to educate them of their revolutionary potential. Some Populists turned to violence after 'going to the countryside' did not have the desired effect - it was this group that assassinated Alexander II in 1881.

Social Revolutionaries

Similar to the Populists, the Social Revolutionaries wanted to have a firm basis on which to base their movement instead of vague revolutionary ideas. They were supported mainly by the intelligentsia but were weak as they were divided between the revolutionaries and anarchists. In effect they were a loose collection of radical groups instead of a single organization.

Social Democrats

These were Marxists who believed that the proletariat would eventually overthrow the bourgeoisie. They were formed in 1898, their full title being the All Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. The SR's split in 1903 with Lenin leading the Bolsheviks (majority) away from the Mensheviks (minority). It was, however, the Mensheviks who were more powerful until 1917.

[edit]