The Russian Revolution

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The Russian Revolution
Essay 2 - 1905 Revolution
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Potential Questions
Defeat in the war with Japan was the main cause
of the 1905 revolution in Russia. How valid is
this view? To what extent was Bloody Sunday
responsible for the 1905 Revolution in
Russia? How important was working-class
discontent in causing the 1905 revolution in
Russia?

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Background
Pre-1905 - Tsar believed his power was secure -
Pillars of Autocracy - Launched a war with Japan
to boost popularity.
By the end of 1905 - peasant land seizures,
workers went on strike, army mutinied, national
minorities rebelled - Tsar forced to make
concessions.
Task 1 - Summarise the events of the 1905
revolution.
Workers
Peasants
Army
p46
Politics
National Minorities
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Factors
Short-term
Long-term
War with Japan
Discontent among peasants
Discontent among workers
Bloody Sunday
Repressive nature of Tsarism
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Factor 1 - Bloody Sunday
History Bloody Sunday.mp4
1) Describe the events.
2) Analyse why Bloody Sunday would have been
important in causing the Tsar's authority to be
weakened and revolution to break out.
3) However....In what ways can it be argued that
Bloody Sunday was a reflection of longer-term
problems within Russia?
4) Evaluation - Find a quote which would
summarise the impact of Bloody Sunday.
p215
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There were wide-spread manifestations of popular
grief, indignation and anger against the guilty
tsar. Not just the industrial workers but the
middle classes, intellectuals, professional
organisations and the whole of Russian society
were roused to fury. Alan Wood There is no God
any longer. There is no tsar! Father Gapon "On
that day he had killed something even greater, he
had killed superstition, and the workers' faith
that they could ever achieve justice from him.
From then on everything was different and new."
Alexandra Kollontai In a few seconds the
popular myth of a Good Tsar was suddenly
destroyed Orlando Figes ...it did perhaps more
than anything else during the whole of the reign
to undermine the allegiance of the common people
to the throne and to shatter the image of
Nicholas as father of his people. Richard
Charques Bloody Sunday was an overwhelming
display of tsarist incompetence Richard Pipes.
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Factor 2 - War with Japan
Land of the Tsars 1905.mp4
1) Describe the events. Include examples of
battles. Describe the economic impact of the war.
2) Analyse why the war would have been important
in causing the Tsar's authority to be weakened
and revolution to break out.
3) However....In what ways can it be argued that
the war was a reflection of longer-term problems
within Russia.
p214-15
p30-32
p45
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What does this show us about Russia's pre-war
attitude?
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What does this French political cartoon imply
about the impact of the Russo-Japanese war?
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4) Evaluation - Pick a quote
Russia's military humiliation...turned a broad
section of the public against him Orlando
Figes "...the Liberals turned against the
government, using its bungled military campaign
as a patriotic argument for political reform"
Orlando Figes The myth of the regime's
invincibility was dissipated and the illegal
political parties emerged from clandestinity.
Robert Service A short, victorious war that
will stem the tide of revolution Plehve,
Minister of the Interior
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Factor 3 - Discontent among the workers
1) Describe the reasons that workers were
unhappy. Living conditions, working conditions,
lack of political rights.
2) Analyse why discontent among workers would
have been important in causing the revolution to
break out. Link to Bloody Sunday, growth of
political parties, strikes.
3) However....does it explain all the events of
1905 (peasant land seizures, mutinies)? What
percentage of Russians lived in the countryside?
p210
p36-38
4) Evaluation -Quote
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The working and living conditions of the workers
created a situation that was conducive to the
spread of mass discontent. Alan Wood Russian
workers felt excluded from the rest of society
Robert Service "The Russian political situation
naturally pushed the workers towards extremes"
Orlando Figes
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Model Paragraph
Industrial workers in Tsarist Russia were
discontented for a number of reasons. Four
sentences of knowledge. Workers' discontent was
clearly significant in causing the 1905
revolution because...2 sentences of analysis.
However, it could in fact be suggested that...2
sentences of counter-analysis. In evaluation,
workers' discontent was pivotal. As ... states
'...'. This illustrates that ...
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Industrial workers in Tsarist Russia were
discontented for a number of reasons. Living
conditions in growing cities such as St
Petersburg were overcrowded and extremely
insanitary. Coupled with this, wages were low and
working hours long. These issues were made worse
by the lack of rights enjoyed by workers. For
example, strikes were illegal. Furthermore,
workers were unable to legally join trade unions
or political parties. Workers' discontent was
clearly significant in causing the 1905
revolution because it contributed to the wave of
strikes that occurred during the revolution and
the growth of revolutionary parties such as the
Bolsheviks. It was also the catalyst for the
workers' march which led to Bloody Sunday.
However, it could in fact be suggested that
industrial discontent was not key as many of the
events of the revolution, such as land seizures,
were based on grievances in the countryside. In
addition, the workers on Bloody Sunday had
initially been peaceful, suggesting that they
were key to avoid revolution. In evaluation,
workers' discontent was pivotal. As Service
states 'Russian workers felt excluded from the
rest of society'. This illustrates that workers
felt that their interests were not being
protected by the Tsar's government, and therefore
felt no hesitation in joining in the revolution
once it started.
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Factor 4 - Discontent among the peasants
1) Describe the reasons that peasants were
unhappy. Describe how opposition from peasants
was shown.
2) Analyse why discontent among peasants would
have been important in causing the revolution to
break out. Link to land seizures, discontent in
the army.
3) However....does it explain all the events of
1905? Look at where many of the key events were.
e.g. Strikes, Bloody Sunday. Were all peasants
unhappy?
p211-212
4) Evaluation -Quote
p34-35
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Example Analysis
It can be argued that peasant discontent was a
key cause of the 1905 revolution, because
throughout the revolution land seizures and
attacks on landlords were common across Russia,
showing a clear link to long-standing issues in
rural areas.
not
It can be argued that peasant discontent was a
key cause of the 1905 revolution, because
peasants didn't have enough land and were unhappy
at having to pay redemption payments.
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The peasantry had not been much slower to move
against the authorities than the workers. Robert
Service
It needed only some outward sign of weakening of
state authority for the village to explode.
Richard Pipes
The growth of rural schooling...was giving rise
to a new generation of 'conscious' peasant men
and women. Orlando Figes
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Model Paragraph
Peasants in Tsarist Russia were unhappy for a
number of reasons. Four sentences of knowledge.
Peasants' discontent was clearly significant in
causing the 1905 revolution because...2 sentences
of analysis. However, it could in fact be
suggested that...2 sentences of counter-analysis.
In evaluation, peasants' discontent was pivotal.
As ... states '...'. This illustrates that ...
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Factor 5 - Repressive Nature of the Tsarist system
1) Describe Nicholas' incompetency and
repression. e.g. Russification, decision not to
listen to zemstvos, Trade Unions
2) Analyse why the Tsar's poor handling of
affairs led to the 1905 revolution. Alienating
ethnic groups, lack of political representation.
3) Evaluation -Quote or Link to Other Factors -
Can the Tsar's political inflexibility be linked
to the other causes of the 1905 Revolution?
p39, 42
p213-214
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Had they been able to develop their own Trade
Unions, the workers might have gone down the path
of moderate reform. Orlando Figes If there is
a single, repetitive theme in the history of
Russia...it is that of the need for reform and
the failure of successive governments to achieve
it. Orlando Figes "'In short, the whole of the
Tsarist Empire was ripe for collapse...Its
peoples wanted to escape' Orlando Figes
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It is possible to put forward an argument that
the very nature of Nicholas II's rule was a key
cause of the 1905 revolution. The Tsar fully
supported autocracy, whereby he held full
political power and did not believe in political
representation of any kind. This was shown by the
suspension of the Zubatov Unions. This was
extremely significant as it alienated groups such
as middle-class liberals who wanted a parliament
and industrial workers who wanted a channel to
express concerns. The Tsar also followed a policy
of control and repression, as shown by
russification, whereby ethnic minorities such as
the Poles were forced to speak Russian in school,
to use Russian in courts and non-Christian groups
such as the Jews were persecuted. This was
crucial as it built up huge resentment to the
Tsarist regime from all over the vast Empire, as
seen by events in 1905 such as the Georgian
uprising. In evaluation it would be fair to
support Figes view that 'if there is a single,
repetitive theme in the history of Russia...it is
that of the need for reform and the failure of
successive governments to achieve it', showing
that the Tsar's rigid rule was pivotal in causing
the 1905 revolution.
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Attachments
History Bloody Sunday.mp4
Land of the Tsars 1905.mp4