Conditions in Russia Before 1905
social, economic, and political conditions in Russia before 1905
Conditions in Russia Before 1905
Russia was not a communist country back then. Russia was under the reign of the Tsar dynasty. The public was in political unrest and oppressed. This led to a mass protest which overthrew the Tsar dynasty and established a new constitution.
In December 1904, the first Spark of the revolution was ignited at Saint Petersburg. This protest spread across the country which resulting in the halting of social life. Under the leadership of a group of revolutionaries, a mass petition was given to the Tsar dynasty at the Winter Palace. At some point, the troops opened fire at the protesters, and approximately a thousand people lost their lives in this outrage. This incident is known as Bloody Sunday. Many people consider this incident as the incident that started the Russian Revolution.
Later, the October Manifesto, written by Sergei Witte and Alexis Obolenskii, was presented to the Tsar on October 14. It closely followed the demands of the Zemstvo Congress in September, granting basic civil rights, allowing the formation of political parties, extending the franchise towards universal suffrage, and establishing the Duma as the central legislative body. When the manifesto was proclaimed, there were spontaneous demonstrations of support in all the major cities. The strikes in St. Petersburg and elsewhere officially ended or quickly collapsed. A political amnesty was also offered. The concessions came hand-in-hand with renewed, brutal action against the unrest. There was also a backlash from the conservative elements of society, with right-wing attacks on strikers, left-wingers, and Jews. Later, many black shed protests happened all across the country, and about 15,000 people were arrested.
– Written by Edutuber Mallu
Russia made uneven progress in democratization during the 1990s, but this limited progress was reversed after Vladimir Putin rose to power in 1999-2000, according to many observers.
The following were the social, economic, and political conditions of Russia before 1995:
· Social Conditions
During those times, the majority religion was Russian Orthodox Christianity, which had grown from the Greek Orthodox Church. But other religions like Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, and Buddhists also had their significant presence in the empire. The non-Russian nationalities did not get equal treatment to the Russian nationalities. Non-Russian nationalities did not get their right to freedom to follow their religious culture and language. As a result, the community got divided into different groups. The peasants formed a group named ‘Commune of Mir’, and workers were divided into groups based on their skills and training.
· Economic Conditions
At that time, grain was the main item of export in Russia. Result of this, the majority of Russians were Agriculturists. The industries had not flourished well then. St Petersburg and Moscow were the only prominent industries then. Most of the production came from the craftsmen. Apart from the workshops, there were many factories too. As the rail route got expanded and developed, there was significant growth in foreign investments as well. With time, the steel, iron, and coal production increased. There was an equal number of craftsmen and factory workers. However, the life of workers was made miserable as they were exploited by the capitalists.
· Political Conditions
Russia was a monarchy. (Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia and its empire that extended to current-day Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, parts of Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus. It stretched to the Pacific and comprised today’s Central Asian states, as well as Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Tsars believed in the divine rights of kings. They were not responsible to the Parliament. All political parties were illegal in Russia.
I hope this answer helped you!
– Written By Aparajita Karmakar
Responses