Central Government and the 1905 Revolution $1855-1917$

Think of tsarist Russia as a pressure cooker ready to explode - and in 1905, it finally did. Economic and social changes created new political groups demanding constitutional government, but the tsar stubbornly refused real reform.

The 1905 Revolution erupted from long-brewing problems: agricultural struggles, rushed industrialisation, harsh Russification policies, and growing opposition to autocracy. The immediate spark came from Russia's humiliating defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, which devastated the economy.

Bloody Sunday became the final trigger when Father Gapon led peaceful demonstrators to the Winter Palace. Over 200 were killed and 800 injured, shattering the people's faith in their "Little Father" tsar. This massacre transformed protests into full-scale revolution.

The tsar survived by making strategic concessions. Witte negotiated peace through the Treaty of Portsmouth, opposition was brutally crushed, and the October Manifesto promised a more representative government through a new parliament called the Duma.

Key Point: The 1905 Revolution forced the tsar to create the Duma, but he never intended to give up real power.

The Four Dumas and Growing Opposition

The Duma became Russia's political battleground, with each session revealing the tsar's determination to maintain autocratic control. You'll see a clear pattern: whenever the Duma challenged royal authority, it was dissolved.

The First Duma (April-July 1906) lasted just two months because it demanded radical changes like land redistribution and Polish self-rule. The angry Vyborg Manifesto called for tax boycotts and military resistance, leading to arrests and Stolypin's notorious quick executions - grimly nicknamed the "Stolypin Necktie."

The Second Duma (February-June 1907) was even more radical, with Social Democrats and Socialist Revolutionaries gaining seats. Arguments over land reform and military control led to its disbandment when an SD member was framed for planning army mutiny.

Through electoral manipulation, the Third and Fourth Dumas became more conservative and unrepresentative. Stolypin cleverly used Article 87 to bypass the Duma entirely, submitting legislation directly to the tsar and maintaining autocratic bias.

Key Point: Each Duma became progressively less powerful, showing that the tsar's constitutional promises were largely meaningless.

World War I Disasters and the 1917 Revolution

World War I completely destroyed what remained of the tsar's authority. Russia was catastrophically unprepared - imagine spending 3 billion roubles on a war whilst your people starve at home.

The economic collapse was staggering: wages rose 200% but prices shot up 400%. The transport system collapsed, leaving food rotting whilst Moscow and Petrograd received only one-third of required supplies. Meanwhile, Nicholas II abandoned the capital to personally command the failing army, leaving the despised Rasputin and Tsarina in charge.

February 1917 saw the final explosion. International Women's Day protests merged with striking Putilov workers, creating unstoppable momentum. By 26th February, half the Petrograd Garrison joined protestors. The crucial moment came on 27th February when both the Petrograd Soviet and Provisional Duma Committee formed, creating dual authority.

Nicholas II's abdication on 2nd March ended three centuries of Romanov rule. The Provisional Government took control, but Soviet Order No. 1 gave the Petrograd Soviet complete military authority - a fatal division of power.

Key Point: The February Revolution succeeded because even the army abandoned the tsar, making his position completely hopeless.

The Provisional Government faced an impossible situation: unelected, lacking legitimacy, and sharing power with the radical Soviets. Lenin's return and his April Theses condemned this "bourgeois" government, whilst Bolshevik propaganda targeted desperate workers and peasants. After surviving the July Days and gaining strength from the Kornilov Affair, the Bolsheviks seized their moment in October, taking control of key points and arresting government members. By November 2nd, they controlled Moscow and Russia's fate.

Key Point: The Provisional Government's fatal weakness was trying to continue the unpopular war whilst sharing power with their revolutionary opponents.