1905 Revolution: The causes

Long term causes
- Workers living and working in poor conditions- low wages, high number of deaths and accidents, long hours 11+
- Peasants- very poor (debt- redemption payments), starving (400000 died 1891), disease was wide spread- they moved to cities to become workers
- 1901- poor harvest and increasing rent- led to peasant revolt 1902-3
- Nobility was 1% of population and owned 25% of land- extremely rich
- ordinary people had no say
- superiority of Russians and russification angered national minorities
- Army: officers from nobility and conscripts required 7 years active plus 8 in reserve
- Witte launching Russia into heavy industry age- increased taxes and didn't think of consequences
- Workers strikes
- rapid change
- emerging class of businessmen understood politics and wanted change
- 1900- depression, wages fell, unemployment
- political parties set up- liberals, revolutionaries, SRs, marxists and SDs (mensheviks and bolsheviks)

Short term causes- The Russo Japanese war
- Cause of the war- Russia's expansionist policy in the far east- rich area in resources and markets- wanted control of the ice free port, Port Arthur in Manchuria
- Jan 26th 1904- Japan launched surprise attack on Russian ships and war started
- Japan compromised - russia can have Port Arthur if Japan can have Korea- Russia refused
- Russia under estimated Japan and over estimated own strength
- Disastrous defeats- even less public belief in Tsar and the government
- Japan had a better trained army and navy and were closer to the action
- claimed the Tsar and minister for internal affairs sought war to divert attention from problems at home- war would rally people together

Bloody Sunday- spark
- 9th Jan 1905- a peaceful march
- Priest Gapon organised petition to Tsar and march to Winter Palace- not aggressive in tone
- Petition- 8 hour working day, minimum wage, more dignified treatment, freedom of speech, right to form trade unions, an elected government
- crowd of 50000- 100000 including women and children
- Authorities well informed about march- assumed would disperse by time reached palace
- guards had orders to stop marchers reaching palace- crowds charged at by calvalry, troops open fired, 130 killed, 300 seriously wounded
- strikes broke out in response and in Jan 400000 people on strike

Mutiny of the Potemkin- spark
- Tsar's fate depended on loyalty of the armed forces
- 14th June 1905- crew of battleship Potmekin mutinied
- found they were given rotten meat to eat
- conditions in Russian navy were harsh and moral low following recent naval disasters
- sailded to Odessa where there were strikes daily
- crowds- looting and arson
- crew killed several officers and seized control of ship
- Potemkin threatened to open fire- police and troops had to retreat
- Tsar ordered troops to open fire- killed 2000
- Potemkin escaped in the hope of finding more support- they surrendered ship to Romanian port in exchange for refuge