Russia In Revolution: 1904-06 Flashcards
Events of Russo-Japanese war
- Russia, Japan, Korea
- 2nd Jan 1904 - Japan attack Port Arthur
- expect easy victory - humiliating defeat
- May 1905 - 24/27 from Baltic fleet sunk
- peace conference= Aug 1905 - recognise Japan’s influence, surrender Port Arthur
Political impacts of Russo-Japanese war
- humiliation + deteriorating economic conditions -> discontent -> Zemstva want N.A.
- wartime discontent -> revolution in St. Petersburg 1905
- Plehve assassinated by SR July 1904
Social Impacts of Russo-Japanese war
- Russian navy & pride of armed forces lacked. 23/27 Baltic fleet sunk in 90 mins
- reports = clear that army badly led
- battle at Mukden +90,000 Russian soldiers died
- humiliated! 1st in modern history that Eastern country defeated European
Economic impacts of Russo-Japanese war
- Supply lines = insufficient for war 6000 miles away (only T-S railway)
- Navy other side of world = costly
- caused fuel and food shortages
Events of Bloody Sunday
- 03/01/1905: strike at Putilov Iron works in St. Petersburg -> 3 workers dismissed
- 9th Jan: ~20,000 workers March to Winter Palace (St.P) with petitionarmed police and Cossacks fire - kill “130” (4,600)
Petition at Bloody Sunday asked for…
1) improved working conditions
2) more food
3) constituent assembly with working class representation
Impact of Bloody Sunday
Tsar replaced Mirskii with strong & conservative Bilyugin as Minister of Internal Affairs
Events of 1905 order
Bloody Sunday General Strike Assassination of Grand Duke Sergei All-Russian Union of Railway Workers formed Naval Mutiny at Kronstadt near St.Petersburg Mutiny on the Potemkin Peasants' Union formed State Duma promised Treaty of Portsmouth General Strike October Manifesto signed
General Strike events
- January 1905
- end of January = +400,000 workers on Strike
- by Autumn - Strikes spread = 2,500,000 workers on strike
Assassination of Grand Duke Sergei
- killed by social revolutionaries 4th February
* Tsar’s uncle & governor of Moscow
All Russian Union of Railway Workers formed
- March
* one of largest trade unions formed - encouraged birth of more illegal trade unions
Mutiny on the Potemkin events
- 14th-24th June
- protest began over inedible
- one of sailors’ spokesmen shot -> triggered full-scale mutiny -> 7 officers killed
- Sailors toed boat to Port of Odessa & troops fired on townspeople coming to pay respects to dead sailor
- +2000 killed ~ 3000 wounded
Peasants’ Union formed
• August• 1st real political organisation of Russian Peasantry• at same time in Moscow - Peasant congress heldcalled for ‘All Russian Union of Peasants’
State Duma promised
- 6th August
* Nicholas II made this promiserestricted its powersrevolutionaries regarded proposal as too weak
Treaty of Portsmouth signed
- 23rd August
* Peace treaty which ended Russo-Japanese war = signed
General Strike events
- 23rd September: Printers’ strike in Moscow on spread to St. Petersburg
- October: General strike
- strike included railway workers, post & telegraph offices, banks
- economy ground to a halt - local gov. offices closed
- largely uncoordinated - not led by Bolsheviks as claimed later
Causes of October Manifesto
- UL: satisfy calls for greater influence from intellects/Zemstva -> Witte & Trepov persuades to reform to quell revolution
- MT: show confidence in Nicholas II’s own standing - Bloody Sunday/Russo-Japanese war/reaction to strikes -> Nik :/?- lack of change -> social discontent -> save autocracy
- Trigger: introduce mild reform July 1905
When was the October manifest issued?
17th October 1905
Reforms of October Manifesto
- constitutional monarchy created - state duma works alongside Tsar
- universal suffrage (promised)
- civil liberties (promised)
- no law passed without Duma consent
- Nov 1905: redemption payments abolished
Limitations of October Manifesto
- issued manifesto with resentment
- no “freedom of speech”
- Duma = consultative body
- no promise of constituent assembly
- not elected through universal suffrage = indirect
Positive impacts of positive reactions
- celebrations on street
- The Octobrists = supportive Union (=moderate liberals with right wing tendencies)
- left wing liberals accepted as first step to full reform - Kadets
- end of redemption payments -> peasants happy
Critical reactions of October Manifesto
- SRs and Social Democrats rejected proposals & encouraged members to strike
- soldiers & sailors / national minority groups keep protesting
- number of peasant uprisings increased - demand land redistribution
- people resented harsh treatment of citizens (Tsar wants power)
What aided the Tsar’s recovery after 1906?
- army units & Cossack troops = loyal to Tsar
- violence used to quash uprisings - penalties for ‘criminal acts’
- troops joined with Black Hundreds to stop peasant uprisings
- opposition weakened by acceptance of manifesto by liberals
- revolutionary groups lacked cohesive leadership (Trotsky=Siberia, Lenin=Finland)
- peasants less willing to strike as pay dwindled
Causes of the Russo-Japanese war
UL: to distract from Russia’s domestic troubles (economic depression, strikes/uprisings -> patriotism. Plehve: “short, swift victorious war”
MT: pursue expansionist policy in far east (Archangel frozen 1/2 year)
Trigger: protect exposed empire (Japan attack fleet at Port Arthur)
