The 1905 Revolution: the spread of revolutionary activity

Question 1

The 1905 Revolution was a series of…

Answer 1

spontaneous uprisings, not a co-ordinated attack on the Tsar’s government.

Question 2

By the summer of 1905 the authorities had lost control of…

Answer 2

around 15% of rural Russia.

Question 3

When did unrest start and where was it worst?

Answer 3

Spring 1905 - it was the worst in the ‘Black Earth’ region of western Russia.

Question 4

In what forms did peasant unrest take?

Answer 4

• Violence against government officials, landowners and government property
• Zemstvos’ petitions demanding land, which were organised by moderate SRs
• Land seizures

Question 5

How did the national minorities rebel in Russia?

Answer 5

• Including the Finns and the Poles
• General strikes in the Baltic states and violence in cities such as Warsaw and Lodz in Poland
• The 1905 had a dramatic impact on Finland - by early November, the Tsar had been forced to end the policy of Russification and restore Finland’s traditional rights

Question 6

What military unrest was the in 1905?

Answer 6

• The mutiny of Battleship Potemkin of June 1905
• Sailors rebelled against their officers, and took control of the ship
• The revolutionary sailors then sailed to Odessa where they fired on government forces which were trying to suppress the revolution in the city
• The ship eventually fled to Romania

Question 7

Urban unrest was often focussed on…

Answer 7

the Jews.

Question 8

When and where did the worst anti-Semitic violence take place?

Answer 8

• Odessa in October 1905

- At least 400 Jews were killed and over 1,600 Jewish homes were destroyed

Question 9

Why was the revolution becoming more radical by autumn 1905?

Answer 9

The Tsar’s August Manifesto had failed to end the unrest.

Question 10

How many workers were on strike by the end of 1905?

Answer 10

2.7 million.

Question 11

What did workers establish in 1905?

Answer 11

The St Petersburg Soviet - an elected committee comprising around 500 delegates, representing 200,000 workers across 147 factories.

Question 12

Who did the majority of workers, being elected to the St Petersburg Soviet, support?

Answer 12

The Mensheviks.

Question 13

By the end of October 1905, how many towns across Russia had their own soviets?

Answer 13

50 towns across Russia, including Moscow and Odessa.

Question 14

What did the Soviet campaign for?

Answer 14

• Eight-hour working day

- Encouraged workers not to pay tax

Question 15

What was on the reasons for the impact of the Soviet?

Answer 15

• The leadership of Leon Trotsky, an intellectual and revolutionary
• He played a leading role among members of the RSDLP who were part of the Soviet
• He also helped the Soviet avoid confrontations with the government and employers by urging the Soviet to act pragmatically and abandon some of its more radical demands

Question 16

When was the St Petersburg Soviet closed?

Answer 16

In early December 1905, by force - Tsarist troops stormed a meeting while Trotsky was speaking.

Question 17

What happened in response to the closing of the St Petersburg Soviet?

Answer 17

A Bolshevik-led armed uprising took place in Moscow - it was crushed by loyal Tsarist soldiers, leaving over 1000 dead.

Question 18

By December 1905, what position was the Tsar in and why?

Answer 18

A stronger position

• Because his October Manifesto won over the majority of middle-class liberals
• Crushing the Soviet effectively brought the 1905 Revolution to an end
• The Soviets in Moscow and Odessa were also suppressed by the Tsar’s troops