From January 1905 to June 1907, events took place in the Russian Empire that are referred to in history as the First Russian Revolution. The impetus for mass demonstrations was Bloody Sunday. Let us further consider how the All-Russian October political strike began.
History
January 9, imperial troops shot peaceful demonstrators in St. Petersburg. From that moment on, the strike movement became large-scale. Unrest and uprisings began in the navy and in the army. The discontent of the people resulted in a mass protest against the autocracy. The result of the All-Russian October political strike in 1905 was the adoption of the Manifesto.
Background
Why did the all-Russian October political strike of 1905 begin? The date on which the described events occurred coincided with the moment of the strongest industrial recession, irregularities in the money circulation scheme, crop failure and an increase in public debt. All these factors exacerbated the need for reform in government. Subsistence farming, which was of key importance for the country, began to fade into the background. The era of intensive industrial development, the introduction of new methods and technologies. All this required radical changes in the legal and administrative systems.
Creation of a special commission
As mentioned above, the October All-Russian political strike of 1905 was the reaction of the people to the events of January 9. After the shooting of peaceful demonstrators, Svyatopolk-Mirsky was removed from the post of minister. At the post he was replaced by Bulygin. A new gene was appointed to the new position of Governor General of St. Petersburg. Trepov. January 29, Nicholas II issued a decree on the formation of a special commission, headed by Senator Shidlovsky. The task of this body was to immediately clarify the reasons for the discontent of workers in St. Petersburg and its environs, and their subsequent elimination. It was proposed to appoint manufacturers, officials and workers' deputies as members of the commission. The demands made by the latter were declared unacceptable. February 20 Szydlowski presented a report to the monarch. In it, he recognized the insolvency of the commission. On the same day, by decree of the king, she was dissolved.
First unrest
After the events of January 9, a wave of strikes took place across the country. Jan 12-14 in Riga and Warsaw there was a massive protest against the execution of St. Petersburg workers. The railway workers of Russia began to join the strike movement. In the spring, students joined the uprisings. In May, a strike of Ivano-Ascension textile workers began. In many industrial cities, the first Soviets of Deputies from workers began to form. Social conflicts were complicated by national disputes. So, in the Caucasus there were clashes between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.
Government regulations
The all-Russian October political strike was brewing in conditions of extreme social tension. On February 18, the monarch published a manifesto calling for the eradication of sedition to strengthen the autocracy. In addition, the Decree was passed to the Senate, which allowed to submit proposals addressed to the sovereign aimed at improving the administrative system in the country. A rescript was signed in the name of Bulygin. It prescribed the preparation of a law on a representative body, the Duma. All these acts in a certain way directed the further social movement. City councils, zemstvo assemblies, various unions of professional intelligentsia, individual figures began to discuss the issue of attracting people to lawmaking. The attitude of the masses towards the work of the body established by Bulygin was formed. Petitions and draft reforms began to be actively drawn up. Zemstvo organized three congresses (February, April, May). The latter was attended by city leaders. This congress ended with the submission to the monarch of a petition for popular representation. On April 17, the king issues a decree on strengthening the foundations of religious tolerance. According to the document it was allowed to depart from Orthodoxy in other religions. In early August, Nicholas II establishes the State Duma. The term for its convocation was no later than mid-January 1906. At the same time, the Electoral Regulations were approved. However, out of the 4 basic democratic norms, only one was implemented in practice - secret ballot. The elections were neither universal, nor equal, nor direct.
All-Russian October political strike (date)
Power reforms did not bring satisfaction to the masses. Nicholas II did not show due interest, trying to maintain an autocratic system. The All-Russian October political strike covered a wide variety of industries. The Bolsheviks played a key role in the preparation of the strike. In their activities, they relied on decisions taken at the Third Congress of the RSDLP. The Railway Union also spoke in favor of organizing mass protests. On September 19, an economic strike of Moscow printers began. She grew into mass unrest of representatives of various professions. By early October, Soviets of Commissioners were created by Moscow railway workers, printers, metalworkers, joiners, and tobacco workers. Rallies and gatherings in support of workers also covered other industrial centers. The Bolsheviks tried to translate economic strikes into political ones, and scattered unrests into an all-Russian strike. The general protests of the railway workers significantly accelerated this process.
Strike progress
6.10 a meeting of representatives of Bolshevik organizations of several sections of the Moscow railway junction, it was decided to start an all-Russian strike. On the evening of the same day, the committee of the RSDLP called for a general strike from 7.10. It covered all the key railway lines coming from Moscow. On the same day, the citywide conference of the Bolsheviks approved the decision to declare a strike in all of Moscow. The All-Russian October political strike took on a large scale. The strike after Moscow began in St. Petersburg, and then in other major cities. By October 17, the All-Russian October political strike paralyzed the movement on all railway tracks in the country. In large cities, plants, factories, power plants, and transport stood up. Post, telegraph, educational institutions, shops, and other institutions stopped working. The strike involved workers of the mining industry, railway workers, students, employees, factory workers. The total number of people reached 2 million. Demonstrations and rallies were held everywhere. In the Volga region, the Baltic states, and Transcaucasia, many of them grew into direct armed clashes with troops and police. The All-Russian October political strike, in short, now pursued one goal - to eliminate the autocracy. The revolutionary masses began to form Councils of Deputies in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinoslav and other cities. Trade unions began to form in Yaroslavl, Vilnius, Tbilisi, and Riga. The attempt by the autocracy to convene a new Duma was thwarted.
Interesting moment
During the strike, the Bolsheviks quite successfully implemented the policy of the left bloc. It was aimed at forming a general democratic revolutionary front to combat tsarism under the leadership of the proletariat. In many large cities strike coalition committees were formed. Some “field-wise” liberals declared, on the one hand, support for the strike, and on the other hand, they opposed the development of unrest into an armed uprising with all their might .
Government action
The autocracy attempted to suppress the all-Russian strike by repression. Governor-General of St. Petersburg Trepov ordered the police and the military not to spare spares, eliminating the rebels. However, the government failed to prevent the strike. In addition, the unrest was in the army itself. Thus, the authorities had insufficient forces to suppress the revolution. The state has developed a certain equilibrium. Lenin wrote at that time that the autocracy no longer existed, and the revolution did not yet have enough forces for victory. As a result, the government was forced to make concessions. On October 17, 1905, a manifesto was signed guaranteeing civil liberties. In the document, Nicholas II also promised to recognize the legislative rights of the Duma. However, the results of the all-Russian October political strike did not satisfy the Bolsheviks. Exposing the hypocrisy and deceit of the autocracy, the revolutionaries called for a new attack on tsarism.
End of unrest
After the adoption of the Manifesto, the Moscow Committee, which was dominated by liberals, issued a directive to end the strike. 10.10 the strike ended in Moscow. In most regions of the country and on highways, the strike lasted until the 25th, and in a number of areas until the November rallies. Having received the support of representatives of the liberal bourgeoisie, who took the manifesto as the beginning of the constitutional path of development, the government launched a decisive attack on the revolutionaries. Pogroms and repressions swept the whole country.