“Learning to Lead our Lives”

The 1905 Revolution

Skill: Chronology, Working with Others

NGfL: Russia 1900-1924

The 1905 Revolution

Skill: Chronology/ Working with Others

Look at the pictures

What can you see?

Why might this event have happened?

What do these pictures tell you about life in Russia

around 1905?

Reproduced with the kind permission of Novosti (London)

What can you see?

Why might this event have happened?

What do these pictures tell you about life in Russia?

Reproduced with the kind permission of Novosti (London)

What can you see?

Why might this event have happened?

What do these pictures tell you about life in Russia?

• By end of the month over 400,000 workers on strike

January 1905

• The Government could not control these outbreaks of violence

February

• 4th: The Tsar’s uncle was assassinated in Moscow

• Strikes spread to other cities, workers demanded an 8 hour day and higher wages

March and May;

• The Russian army and navy was defeated by Japan

• This led to demands for change! National groups like Poles and Finns demanded their independence

June• The middle class

liberals demanded freedom of speech and the right to form political parties

• Sailors aboard the Battleship Potemkin mutinied

July:

• Peasants rioted, land was seized by them and the houses of landowners were looted and burned

September

• A Peace Treaty was signed between the Russians and Japanese. Troops returned home to stop the unrest.

The Government agreed to give them their ‘back pay’

October

• General Strike spreads from Moscow to other cities

• All opposition groups united to demand change. They even set up barricades in the streets

October 26th

• Soviets formed in other cities

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• St Petersburg Soviet was formed (council of workers and soldiers)

• 30th: Manifesto made by the Tsar! This gave into the demands of protestors

December

• The Tsar regained strength and supporters and put down the St Petersburg Soviet, the armed uprising in Moscow. He sent out troops to wreak their revenge on workers and peasants

Results of 1905 Revolution

• The October Manifesto -

• promise of freedom of speech, right to form political parties

• Establish a Duma

• No new laws without consent of the Duma

• Broken Promises

• Voting system was unfair rich had more influence than the poor

• Duma had little influence over the Tsar and new laws

• First two Dumas were dismissed for demanding reforms

• Further changes introduced to excluded socialist