R2 - Causes of the 1905 Revolution

Question 1

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Tsar was seen as the…

Answer 1

‘little father’ and was thought to have been picked by God to rule over Russia.

Question 2

When did the Romanov dynasty begin?

Answer 2

1613

Question 3

how many years did the Romanov family rule for?

Answer 3

300

Question 4

In 1905, Russia…

Answer 4

descended into chaos and the Tsar’s reign was seriously threatened.

Question 5

Reasons for the 1905 revolution?

Answer 5

1. discontent amongst the working class and peasantry
2. political issues
3. military defeat in the Russo-Japanese war.
4. Bloody Sunday

Question 6

In February 1905, the Russian army…

Answer 6

suffered a huge defeat at the battle of Mukden where 80000 Russian soldiers died.

Question 7

Why did the battle of Mukden arguably cause the 1905 revolution?

Answer 7

This arguably caused the 1905 revolution as it created huge amounts of national hostility, highlighting the weakness and incompetence of Russia as well as increasing social unrest.

Question 8

The Russian fleet took 8 months…

Answer 8

to sail from the Baltic sea to the Pacific Ocean where they were destroyed at the Battle of Tsushima in just 45 minutes.

Question 9

Why did the Battle of Tsushima arguably cause the 1905 revolution?

Answer 9

This arguably led to the 1905 revolution as it was the worst defeat in the history of the Russian navy, once again causing mass humiliation and Russia’s status as a European powerhouse to completely fade, angering the Russian public.

Question 10

How can it be argued that the defeat against Japan actually saved the Tsar from a full-blown revolution?

Answer 10

returning soldiers were able to put down rebellions in the late months of 1905 which they would not have been able to do if the Russo-Japanese war had gone on for any longer.

Question 11

In evaluation, the Russo-Japanese war was a significant reason for the 1905 revolution as…

Answer 11

the Japanese army seized Port Arthur, the only all-weather port Russia had, meaning Russia were effectively landlocked without it and discontent grew.

Question 12

However, the discontent was targeted towards…

Answer 12

the poor decision making and leadership of the army and the majority of troops remained loyal to the Tsar.

Question 13

On the other hand, Bloody Sunday was the most important reason for the 1905 revolution because the workers, joined…

Answer 13

1.by their elderly relatives and children, were holding portraits and banners of the Tsar but this perception of him rapidly changed, causing a wave of outrage across the country and a revolution to begin.

Question 14

Father Gapon, an Orthodox priest…

Answer 14

led 250,000 factory workers who marched to the Tsar’s Winter Palace in an attempt to get his help in improving their terrible living and working conditions, but they when they approached the palace, they were fired upon by the Cossacks.

Question 15

Why did Father Gapon leading factory workers to the Winter Palace cause revolution?

Answer 15

This arguably led to the 1905 revolution as it brought the Tsar into conflict with his own people as well as angering the people as the Tsar’s soldiers had fired upon innocent families.

Question 16

Why can Bloody Sunday be considered the most important reason for revolution? (BS Evaluation)

Answer 16

• it damaged the image of the Tsar as the ‘little father’ and he was now seen as ‘Nicholas the Bloody’.
• By killing innocent families he broke the bond between himself and his people, which increased resentment for the Tsar himself rather than just the government.

Question 17

Russian peasants lived in…

Answer 17

extreme poverty and land hunger was a common problem because the amount of land a peasant had was declining as land was constantly being divided among the successive generations of a family. By 1905, 22% of peasants did not have enough land to provide food for their families.

Question 18

Why did poverty of peasants arguably lead to revolution?

Answer 18

This would have potentially led to a revolution in 1905 as many peasants blamed the Tsar and his officials for forcing them to make redemption payments which pushed them even further into poverty and therefore the peasants were encouraged to rise up and violently revolt in order to improve their lives.

Question 19

Many of the middle class were becoming…

Answer 19

increasingly angry as there was no move towards constitutional government and they had no say in how the country was run.

Question 20

Why did the middle class anger arguably lead to revolution?

Answer 20

This arguably led to the 1905 revolution as the middle class were frustrated and created political hostility towards the regime, making them more likely to support any revolution that could break out.

Question 21

The Social Democrats were gaining…

Answer 21

more support amongst the working class, however many of their leaders were in exile, for example Vladimir Lenin who was in Switzerland.

Question 22

Why would leaders in exile mean that political problems would not have caused revolution?

Answer 22

This would suggest that the revolutionary parties within Russia were still divided and weak and were unable to influence or organise a revolution. Therefore, revolutionary parties motivated by political discontent were not the driving force behind the revolution in 1905.

Question 23

political problems were of limited importance as although national…

Answer 23

minorities were being suppressed by Russification which attacked their cultural heritage, driving more people into the ranks of the revolutionaries,

Question 24

discontent with the tsarist regime has been…

Answer 24

a long term feature of life in Russia and has always been put down by the Okhrana and army, showing that political problems did not play a large role in causing revolution to break out in 1905.

Question 25

Why can it be argued that Bloody Sunday was more important than political problems?

Answer 25

working class united in their anger and revolutionary groups began to drum up support from ordinary people. Members of all classes now openly expressed their anger towards the regime and meant a revolution was inevitable.

Question 26

Overall, Bloody Sunday was the most important reason for the 1905 revolution because…

Answer 26

• it brought the Tsar into conflict with his own people.

- he was now viewed as ‘Nicholas the Bloody’, breaking the bond between himself and his people

Question 27

The Cossack’s attack left…

Answer 27

approximately 100 dead and 300 injured, though it is now believed that these figures are much higher.

Question 28

The extent of death and injury…

Answer 28

arguably led to the 1905 revolution because it caused chaos across the country including strikes, peasant attacks on landlord estates and assassinations such as Grand Duke Sergei, the Tsar’s uncle, ultimately leading to revolution.

Question 29

How can it be argued that peasant discontent did not lead to the 1905 revolution?

Answer 29

because their economic condition was improving. For example, the amount of grain peasants had was increasing and the increasing height of army conscripts showed that nutrition was also improving so it is unlikely that the peasants would cause a revolution.

Question 30

In evaluation, discontent among the peasantry was of great importance in causing the 1905 revolution as although…

Answer 30

by the summer of 1905 there was widespread disorder in the countryside that took the form of timber cutting, seizing land belonging to the aristocracy and attacks on grain stocks which are all examples of revolutionary behaviour

Question 31

the peasants believed that the Tsar…

Answer 31

was the ‘little father’ and thought he still remained ignorant of their conditions so it is arguably unlikely that they would rise up and revolt against him.

Question 32

On the other hand, Bloody Sunday if of much greater significance in causing the 1905 revolution as the demands….

Answer 32

the factory workers had were very basic such as a working day of 8 hours and paid overtime. The extreme and unjustified violence these demands were met with caused huge amounts of anger and a revolution to begin.

Question 33

Working conditions in factories were…

Answer 33

horrendous and beatings were common as well as unventilated working areas with noxious fumes, dangerous machinery and very little legislation to protect workers.

Question 34

Worker’s housing was also…

Answer 34

of extremely poor quality and those who rented rooms lived in damp, overcrowded conditions and limited sanitation and running water meant that the life expectancy for an industrial worker in St Petersburg in 1900 was just 37.

Question 35

The discontent felt by the working class due to these living and working conditions resulted in…

Answer 35

several strikes in 1902 and 1903. These strikes clearly prove that a revolution was on its way as the strikes were a challenge to the system of autocracy within Russia and a direct challenge to the Tsar himself. By October 1905, around 2.5 million workers has gone on strike, clearly showing that a revolution was brewing.

Question 36

However, it can be argued that worker discontent was not behind the 1905 revolution because…

Answer 36

Russian workers did not have it as tough as workers throughout Europe at the time, for example in England, children were exploited as chimney sweeps and women in textile sweatshops but the patriarchal nature of Russia limited the work that women and children could do.

Question 37

In evaluation, discontent among the workers was quite significant in causing the 1905 revolution because despite…

Answer 37

the fact that workers were far more likely to join unions to vent their frustrations rather than revolutionary groups and Sergei Zubatov set up unions with the belief that workers lives could be improved within the existing Tsarist system.

Question 38

In 1900 there was a recession with many workers…

Answer 38

losing their jobs causing workers to become increasingly angry and join illegal revolutionary groups like the Social Democrats who were instrumental to the revolution.

Question 39

However, Bloody Sunday was arguably a more important reason for the 1905 revolution because as a direct consequence…

Answer 39

of the events of Bloody Sunday, workers went on strikes and protested about the Tsar because, in their eyes, he was a killer who did not care for them. This behaviour without doubt showed that a revolution had begun.

Question 40

Overall, it is clear that Bloody Sunday was the most important reason for the 1905 revolution…

Answer 40

not peasant discontent, because it brought the Tsar into conflict with his own people and he was now viewed as ‘Nicholas the Bloody’, breaking the bond between himself and his people and ultimately leading to the 1905 revolution.