Table of Contents
Section 6
 
 
World War One and the Destruction of the Old Order

Russo-Japanese War and the Revolution of 1905

War With Japan

A major dispute with Japan over the control of northern China led to war in 1904. The Tsar had hoped that a series of victories over the Japanese would rally the Russian people behind him. The war went very badly for the Russian both on land and at sea. In addition to the large numbers of casualties, things on the home front did not go well. Trade with other countries slowed and prices for food climbed. Many people who were already at starvation levels began to suffer tremendously. Russia was finally forced to surrender to the Japanese by 1905.

The 1905 Revolution

During the war with Japan, the suffering people in the capital city of St Petersburg gathered on Sunday 22 January to ask the Tsar for food. The winter of 1904-5 was a very harsh one and people were starving to death. The people saw the Tsar as a father figure to the country and believed that he did not know his people were starving. The people wanted to go to the palace to explain to him the problems they faced.

The peaceful march was led by a number of priests carrying religious pictures and icons were soon joined by thousands of citizens.

The Tsar was not in St Petersburg at the time, but as the crowd entered the square in front of the palace they were met by hundreds of soldiers. It remains unclear what occurred next, but the soldiers opened fire upon the demonstrators. Hundreds of civilians were killed in what became known as “Bloody Sunday.” The shock that followed this event led to strikes and violence throughout the country.

The Tsar and his government were able to avoid a major revolution by promising to set up a duma (a type parliament where people would be elected). Although it looked like the Tsar was sharing power, the duma was almost powerless in the big picture. Some Russians felt that this was not enough, but for most, they believed that Russia was moving in the right direction. A major revolution was avoided, but a strong movement by revolutionary socialists continued to push for radical changes.