What caused the revolution of 1905 and why did it fail?

In 1905 The Tsar of Russia was confronted with the most opposition he had ever been confronted by. It was no longer only the ex-serfs who were unhappy but what seems like all social classes. Reasons for these revolutionary upheavals can be categorised under the titles of long term, short term and further into Social, Political and Economic. One must then query, with so much open opposition how were the reforms unsuccessful? Long term causes of the revolution include; the continuous dissatisfaction of the exserfs and landowners who had been disappointed ever since the freedom of serfs. Alexander the second had freed serfs and this was greatly appreciated by the serfs at the time however the further conditions of their freedom also left many Russians anything but appreciative. Land was forcibly taken from Nobles leaving them bitter and the fact that the Ex-serfs who were eligible (serfs who had worked on the land and not in the house) were made to pay for the land also leaving these ex-serfs feeling dissatisfied. Ex-serfs still found themselves with little freedom due to the firm control of the Mir. Their anger is evident in the peasant uprisings of 1902 where peasants fought for better work and living conditions. This would fall under social and Economic. Alexander IIs reforms, including the serf reform previously discussed, is another Long term cause of the 1905 revolution. Alexander II failed to commit to any of the reforms fully and often left citizens disappointed rather than fulfilled. The Emancipation as discussed left serfs and nobles both feeling cheated. The reformation of local governments and the reformation of the legal system fell short of the citizens expectations. Not only had Alexander II not delivered the liberalisation promised, but then, Alexander III, the next Tsar, tried to tighten down on the lenience created by liberalisation by tightening control of governments and persecuting minority groups such as the Jews. Russian citizens had been given a taste of liberalism and wanted more; they did not appreciate being held back from moving forward. Protests were popular between 1901 and 1905 due to the poor working conditions of the factories. Workers worked long hours in strenuous conditions for very little pay.

With such concentration in such smaller space military attitudes developed and protests became regulars. By 1903, 138,000 workers had taken part in 550 work stoppages. Employers inevitably began to question the governments hard line also. The rural famines of 1897, 1898 and 1901 also contributed to the poor conditions. Short term causes of the revolution can be blamed for tipping the scale and bringing about the movements. The military defeat of the Russian army by the Japanese was seen as embarrassing. The Tsar had been hopping if Russia had defeated Japan faith of his people would be restored in him. This was obviously not the case; people were losing faith and fast. The most dominant of short term causes would have to be Bloody Sunday. A peaceful demonstration, where demonstrators went to present the tsar with a petition asking for a minimum wage and less working hours. But the demonstrators were gunned down by the Imperial Guard. Many men, woman and children were killed. The Russian citizens were shocked and many protests and demonstrations followed. The disregard for the nations people was displayed to the public. As these open opposition groups grew more organised the threat of revolution increased. Some opposition groups united believing there would be power in numbers. But one must query, with so much opposition, how did the revolution not succeed? The Army played a key role in the Tsar retaining his position. They, unlike most of Russia, stayed loyal to him and worked hard to put down any disturbances. Yet the main downfall of the revolution was the lack of a focused outcome or organisation. With so many opposition groups, wanting so many different things, it was very difficult to make any progress. This along with the number of different social classes meant a lack of leadership. Middle classes were demanding liberalism in form of political reform and a Duma. Whilst the working class wants better pay, shorter hours and better conditions. These two groups had little similar grounds to work on. The peasants were too widely spread throughout out Russia to be able to

have a leader of any sort and their protests consisted of burning and rioting which wreaked no beneficial gains. The Tsar had the government to thank in the end, as they bought out two of the groups leaving the third; the working class, isolated. The middle class was offered a Duma if form of an elected parliament who would have a say in all future laws. Whilst an end was put to all the peasants redemption dues. The army and police were then able to contain the remaining protestors. To conclude, there were multiple reasons for the 1905 revolution and one can consider the Bloody Sunday as the trigger of the revolution. This event is considered a failed revolution however one must acknowledge the gains made by the middle and working class.