Causes of the 1905 Revolution

• Nicholas himself was incapable of ruling Russia effectively and of resolving the many problems it faced but refused to have others help him
• The refusal of Nicholas II to reduce his autocratic powers and his unwillingness to allow representatives of the people such as the zemstva to influence government policy.
• The failure of the emancipation of the serfs to bring about genuine improvements in the lives of the peasants.

  • The peasants still bore great resentment against the nobility who they perceived as continuing to exploit them through redemption payments.
  • The Years of the Red Cockerel in 1902-07 saw widespread instances of arson against noble barns and crops.
• The growth of the urban proletariat due to the industrialisation of Russia and the influx of peasants from the countryside.

  • They faced overcrowding and poor living conditions.
  • This was the perfect breeding ground for tsarist opposition and with a much denser population, it was easier to coordinate.
  • In 1904, there were 90,000 strikes, many of which turned into violent clashes between workers and the police.
• The growing influence of radical groups and individuals such as the SRs and the SDs.

  • "Police socialism" provided a way of meeting some of the workers demands whilst steering them away from more revolutionary ideas.
  • This experiment was largely abandoned in 1903 when Zubatov was dismissed and Nicholas became more reactionary.
• The spark that started the revolution was the Russo-Japanese War.

  • Supposed to be an easy victory that would unify Russia, it proved to be a disaster that showed the failings of the Tsarist regime and brought more death and suffering to the Russian people.
  • The humiliation by a smaller power that the regime claimed to be racially inferior again showed that Tsarism was damaging Russia's standing in the world and meaning it was further falling behind other powers.