Russian Revolution Essay Example

Until the twentieth century, Russia remained under the Medieval feudalistic social structure which had three basic levels. First, a czar ruled the country as an autocratic, and frequently despotic, monarch. Rich nobles, the next level in this society, owned vast quantities of land and also served in government posts. Last of all came the rest of the Russian people—the peasants or serfs. Serfs had few rights and worked for the nobility their whole lives. They were little better than slaves and lived in abject poverty.
This society naturally caused great dissatisfaction among the serfs. As the nineteenth century wore on, numerous reform and fanatical groups tried to change Russia's social structure and government. Revolutions, although suppressed, continued from time to time until two very important revolutions, one in 1905 and the other in 1917. Although these revolutions had two basic causes in common, civil rights and social discontent, they had very different results.
Russia's 1905 revolution began for several reasons. Discontentment with Russia's social system and living conditions among the masses truly began the revolution. While Russia slowly industrialized, Russia's labor force grew in size. Laborors worked and lived in horrendous conditions. This created the desire for a better way of life. However, the Russo-Japanese War, which lasted from 1904 to 1905, played a crucial role in aggravating the condition of workers and peasants alike and caused even more discontentment. During the war, the cost of many things inflated. As a result, peasants who before the war had just made ends meet, starved. Also, the Russian troops lost many battles to the Japanese due to inferior leadership, arms, and training. Although many Russians opposed the Russo-Japanese War, Czar Nicholas II nevertheless refused to end it.
On January 22, 1905, soon after Port Arthur fell to the Japanese, a trade union leader named Father Gapon organized a protest to demand the end of the war,