Background
In the early twentieth century, European countries were shocked by a strong economic crisis. He touched and Russia. Thousands of small and medium enterprises went bankrupt, hundreds of thousands of people were left without work. On top of that, a war broke out between Russia and Japan, in which the Russian army suffered crushing defeats. Poverty and unemployment have affected many people. No matter how fast industry develops in the Russian Empire, there were not enough jobs for everyone. And the crisis made it feel full. The land problems were superimposed on all this. In the villages, the number of landless peasants was growing, which simply could not pay for the meager allotments generously provided to them during the reform of 1861. Not everyone decided to move to the lands of Siberia or the Far East with their harsh climate.
Despite the significant changes in public life that had occurred at this point, the Russian Empire remained an absolute monarchy, in which the majority of the population was powerless. There was also national oppression: many nations did not even have the opportunity to teach children in their mother tongue, much less use it in courts or government institutions.
The beginning of the revolution
Such, if briefly, was the situation in which the first Russian revolution began. The reason for its beginning was the events of January 9, 1905. On this day, a workers ’demonstration led by priest Gapon went to the Winter Palace in the capital to present the petition to the tsar demanding better working conditions, political freedoms, etc. A 140-thousandth column with icons and royal portraits approached the palace when police and soldiers opened fire on it. More than a thousand people were killed, several thousand were injured.
After this event, the country flared up like a torch. The senseless reprisals angered thousands of people, and strikes and rallies began throughout Russia. In the capital itself, clashes between workers and troops developed. Thus began the first Russian revolution.
Different strata of society reacted differently to the events that began. Three political camps stood out: conservative, liberal, and revolutionary-democratic. The first can be attributed to the supporters of the autocracy (landowners, officials, officers, nobility), who were quite satisfied with the pre-revolutionary situation. They were ready to leave everything as it is. The most radical representatives of this movement were the Black Hundreds - members of the Union of the Russian People. The liberal camp was represented by progressively minded nobles, intellectuals, and the bourgeoisie. These were those sections of the population who wanted from the revolution, above all, the expansion of political rights and freedoms, the opportunity to participate in the governance of the country. Workers, the peasant poor, and the petty bourgeois joined the revolutionary-democratic camp. These people eagerly supported the Socialist-Revolutionaries and Social Democrats, who advocated the overthrow of the king and the establishment of a republic.
In 1905, the first Russian revolution was on the rise. By the summer, up to a million people managed to participate in strikes and strikes. Representatives of national movements began to put forward their demands . The emperor made concessions: at first it was allowed to create a parliament - the State Duma, and later the population received political freedoms. The number of people who could participate in parliamentary elections has also expanded.
Manifests on the establishment of the Duma and on political freedoms were welcomed by the liberals. Political parties such as the Cadets and the Octobrists, which were ready to participate in the Duma elections, arose. According to liberal leaders, the first revolution (as it will be called later) has already achieved its goals.
But the masses did not reassure these concessions. In summer and autumn of that year, insurrections even touched the army and navy, which were considered the pillar of the ruling regime. The revolution swept the Black Sea and Baltic sailors, soldiers of Kharkov, Kiev, Tashkent, Warsaw garrisons. But all these speeches did not receive wide support and were soon suppressed. In December 1905, a workers' uprising broke out in Moscow. With the help of troops deployed from St. Petersburg, the government was able to crush him, and later performances in other cities were crushed by military force. Public activity began to decline. But next year peasant uprisings continued.
End and summary
In 1906, the First State Duma began its work . This parliament did not work long and was dissolved because of its too radical composition. The following fate befell the next Duma. After that, on June 3, 1907, a new law was passed that narrowed the number of voters. This event actually ended the first Russian revolution. Mass protests by that time were almost suppressed. Their members ended their lives either on the gallows, aptly called the “Stolypin tie” (in honor of the then prime minister), or in prisons and penal servitude.
So, what did the first Russian revolution lead to and why did it fail? The answer to the second question is obvious: the political forces that participated in it acted separately, their interests quite often did not coincide. As for the results, the most important achievement can be considered a change in the political system. The State Duma, which appeared during the revolution, remained to exist. Despite its limited capabilities, it nevertheless influenced the further policy of the government. And at the same time it became a platform for many politicians. The revolution brought representatives of oppressed peoples the opportunity to publish books and newspapers in their native language and use it in theatrical performances. But schooling in the mother tongue for many nations (for example, Ukrainians and Belarusians) has remained inaccessible.