During this time, Russian cities were dying because all the workers and peasants were focused on rebelling against the government and seizing the land of their landlords, instead of working in the factories and living the life of a peasant or urban worker. The Russian Revolution of 1905 only decreased the strength of the empire further but a positive outcome for the people of Russia was instituted. Sergei Witte suggested an elected legislative assembly and after the Revolution of 1905, The Duma, a parliamentary institution, was established. Although the Revolution was officially over, violence and tension continued,
All Russian governments in this period faced strong opposition to their regime with the period as a whole punctuated by riots, disturbances and revolutions. Political change was expected in Russia during this period, particularly during the Tsarist regime where the growth of the revolutionary intelligentsia, ironically an effect of the Great Reforms, led many to question the need for a Tsar or a royal family at all. The first main success of political opposition is widely considered to be the assassination of Alexander II at the hands of the People’s Will in 1881. Although they assassinated their Tsar, it is very likely this did not actually lead to their desired outcome, it being greater political freedom/democracy. Many historians have said Alexander II was considering the formation of a parliament in Russia.
He then further proceeded to give the nobility a hard time by creating a Table of Ranks. This table made ones social standing a matter of how much you give back to the central state as opposed to simply coming from a well-to-do family. Next Peter proceeded to suppress the unruly guard, known as the streltsy, in a much less diplomatic fashion. After their rebellion was brutally suppressed, over a thousand of them were made an example to the people through public executions and by leaving their bodies on display to those who might also think to rebel. Finally he confronted the extremely traditional Russian Orthodox Church by kicking out the patriarch and instating a secular procurator general to rule the church in accordance with secular requirements.
His army also consisted of millions of poor, starving peasants with bad equipment, poor supplies of rifles and ammunition. In 1916, two million soldiers were killed or seriously wounded, and one third of a million taken prisoners. The Russian population was horrified. They considered the Tsar irresponsible for taking over the army and held him responsible for everything; as a result instability was growing at an alarming rate for the Tsar who had once held himself so assuredly in power. Nicholas II took this course of action to assure himself he still had complete control of Russia.
In the battle of Tannenburg the loss was very drastic; 30000 men wounded or killed, 95000 captured and 500 guns. This portrays the heavy defeat that Russia and this dropped moral in the army and at home in Russia. This shows the losing of the battle created a growth in opposition against the Tsar due to the public of Russia blaming the Tsar as he commanded the troops to go to war. Peasants felt annoyed and angry and Nicholas. This strengthened the opposition against the Tsar.
They loved the Tsar and believed he would help them, so protested for better living conditions. Their protest was brutally put down by the Imperial Guard since they were shot down by the czar’s troops. This incident “Bloody Sunday” destroyed the people’s faith in the Czar. Strikes and revolts exploded around the country. • In response to massive protest he created the October Manifesto (propositions) and promised to grant more rights, such as freedom of speech, meeting and association.
A crucial quantity of Russians had lost their faith on Czar Nicholas II leadership, believing that ceding his command would lead them for more efficacious war outcomes. In January 9th, 1917, over 14,000 workers decided to strike in Petrograd, immortalizing the Bloody Sunday. The situation became worse in February 22nd, 1917, when more than 100 thousand workers decided to strike in the Petrograd, and the Duma reassemble, deciding to be in favor of the population and attack the government. It became known as the February Revolution, in behalf of more and more people joining the cause; in order to reorganize Russia to an enfranchised and fair
People who expressed negative thoughts about Peter's decisions were often executed before they had a chance to gain followers and rebel against the Tsar. The Streltsy, bushy musketeers and pike men, Russia's first professional soldiers, were often found at the receiving end of harsh sentences[6]. Peter the Great was bad in that he was very cruel to the people of Russia. He heavily taxed everyone, so the serfs had to pay taxes for themselves and their owners. In
Russian Revolution -Terms Czar Nicholas II- last Russian czar; clumsy and ineffective leader; bad at decision making; abdicated the throne; July 1918 executed by the Bolsheviks along with his family; tried to hold back cultural changes; Economic developments Encouraged growth of industries by investing national funds Ordered tariffs to protect Russian products from foreign trade Encouraged foreign investment Bloody Sunday-January 22, 1905 massacre in St. Petersburg, Russia; unarmed demonstrators trying to get better working conditions, more personal freedom, and an elected national legislature; provoked a wave of strikes across the country; Imperial Guard open fired when they went to Nicolas’s palace; By October 1905, Czar promised parliament and more freedom Abdicate- to resign as a ruler VI Lenin- founder of Bolshevik party organizer of October Revolution armed workers, soldiers, and sailors stormed Winter Palace (headquarters of provisional government) bloodless Menshevik and Socialist Revolutionary delegates withdrew from Congress Made Russia into a Communist
The Germans, who continued making territorial gains (marked 2), eventually began aiding the pro-Tsarist White Russian forces, attempting to stem the very revolt they had helped to foster. However the damage to the Russian infrastructure was too great, and the "White" Russians were eventually forced from power by the "Red" Communists. The treaty of Brest-Litovsk was finally concluded with the new Bolshevik government on March 3, 1918, stripping their country of all provinces west of the Ukraine. That treaty was annulled by the Armistice of November 11, and the new government in Moscow eventually re-established its presence in all of the previously held lands. Ironically, one of the lasting actions by the Bolsheviks was the attempted indoctrination of German prisoners-of-war.