Economic Causes Of The 1905 Revolution

It is certain that the revolutions of both 1905 and 1917 were greatly influenced by the economic situation at the time as the ruins of the economy in 1905 left by the Russo-Japanese war meant that many Russians became dissatisfied with the situation and wanted change. The revolutions were a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread throughout the Russian Empire and included worker strikes, peasant unrest, and military mutinies. However it could be argued that other factors such as war, both the Russo-Japanese and First World Wars had an impact also contributed as well as the unrest of the people living in Russia as well as the catalyst events such as Bloody Sunday that caused the revolutions.
In the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese
This intensified after 1902 industry declined because most Russians were too poor from the tax increase to buy any of the new goods and services being produced in the cities which lead to factories having to close down many and jobs being lost. Coincidentally in the country there was a dramatically reduced harvest from 12 million tonnes of oats to just 8.8 million which left many hungry. This signalled the start of the unrest from Russian society and so many argue that it was an important factor that caused the 1905 revolution. The First World War also worsened Russia’s economic situation because production of luxuries and consumer goods had to be
On 9th January 1905 150,000 people gathered at 6 assembly points to move in on the Winter Palace. It began as a peaceful protest by disgruntled steel workers and led by a Russian Orthodox priest, Father Gapon. The purpose of the protest was to present a petition to the Tsar to ask for reform. The petition stated “Oh Sire, we working men and inhabitants of St. Petersburg, our wives, our children and our parents, helpless and aged women and men, have come to You our ruler, in search of justice and protection... . Do not refuse to help Your people. Destroy the wall between Yourself and Your people.” The protest was only ever intended as peaceful but instead workers were shot by soldiers who panicked as they had never seen such a large crowd before, killing 200 and injuring 800 more. This meant that the popularity of the Tsar declined even further and with this his authority. So much so that the US ambassador to Russia said “The present ruler has lost absolutely the affection of the Russian people, and whatever the future may have in store for the dynasty, the present Tsar will never again be safe in the midst of his