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Tsarist rule in Russia, 1905 to 14

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In 1905 a revolution shook Tsar Nicholas II's rule. He survived by making promises, then took most of them back.

The 1905 Revolution

On Bloody Sunday (January 1905), troops fired on peaceful marchers in St Petersburg.
Strikes, peasant risings and the Potemkin mutiny (sailors on a battleship) followed.
Workers set up soviets (councils), such as the St Petersburg Soviet.

The October Manifesto and the Dumas

Nicholas issued the October Manifesto (1905), promising civil rights and an elected parliament, the Duma. This split the opposition.
But the Fundamental Laws (1906) said the Tsar still held supreme power.
The first two Dumas were dissolved quickly; voting rules were changed so the later Dumas were more loyal.

Stolypin and unrest

Stolypin, chief minister from 1906, used repression (hangings were nicknamed 'Stolypin's necktie') and land reform to create loyal, better-off peasants. He was assassinated in 1911.
Opposition groups included the Social Democrats (split into Bolsheviks and Mensheviks), the Socialist Revolutionaries and liberals.
In 1912 troops shot striking workers at the Lena goldfields, sparking a wave of strikes.
Worked example

Explain how Nicholas II survived the 1905 Revolution.

  1. The October Manifesto promised a Duma, satisfying many liberals.
  2. This split the opposition.
  3. The army stayed loyal and crushed the remaining risings.

Answer: He divided his opponents with the October Manifesto and used the loyal army against the rest.

Key idea

1905: Bloody Sunday, strikes, the Potemkin mutiny and soviets. The October Manifesto promised a Duma, but the Fundamental Laws kept the Tsar's power. Stolypin combined repression and land reform until his assassination (1911). Opposition parties grew; the Lena goldfields shootings (1912) sparked strikes.

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