Discontent

What were the reasons for discontent in Russia in 1905?

There were a range of political, economic, social, and military problems that were causing discontent and unhappiness among different social classes in tsarist Russia by 1905.

What caused discontent in tsarist Russia in 1905?

There were 6 key reasons for discontent in Russia in 1905:

• ❖ The peasants were exceptionally poor, wanted more land and wanted taxes to be reduced.
• ❖ Industrial workers were angry about their working and living conditions, low pay and the high unemployment rates.
• ❖ Middle class people were frustrated they had no say in how the country was run because it was an autocracy. They wanted more freedom, but were afraid of revolution.
• ❖ Non-Russians did not want to be ruled by Russians and wanted their independence.
• ❖ There were radical groups that wanted to overthrow the tsar and give power to the workers or peasants.
• ❖ Many people hated the police and secret police because they curtailed their freedom.

What caused discontent in the countryside in Russia 1905?

The peasants were unhappy because they were suffering in 4 main ways:

• ❖ The peasants were exceptionally poor, most were subsistence farmers and they needed more land.
• ❖ There were many famines which affected the Russian Empire in the 1890s and 1901. Thousands of people died.
• ❖ The tsar and his government did not deal very well with the famines and the peasants were angry.
• ❖ Many peasants were in debt. From 1861 they were no longer owned by the landowners but had to pay for their freedom.

What caused discontent in the middle classes in Russia in 1905?

There were 4 main reasons the middle class was unhappy:

• ❖ Many wanted political reforms such as the freedom of speech or the right to vote which had been granted in other European countries.
• ❖ Many wanted to remove the tsar and have a written constitution which would give everyone equal rights.
• ❖ Many were terrified of the revolutionary political groups that had developed in Russia as the middle class would lose out if a revolution occurred.
• ❖ They were frustrated with Tsar Nicholas II's unwillingness to implement political reform.

What caused discontent in the industrial workers in tsarist Russia?

There were 4 main reasons why the industrial workers were unhappy:

• ❖ Their working conditions were awful and dangerous.
• ❖ Their pay was very poor.
• ❖ Their living conditions were terrible as their pay was so low they could not afford anywhere better to live and often lived in overcrowded conditions.
• ❖ Workers suffered from illnesses and often became alcoholics as a result of their living conditions.

Why were non-Russians unhappy in tsarist Russia?

There were 3 key reasons why non-Russians were unhappy:

• ❖ The Russian Empire contained some 19 different nationalities in the areas conquered by the tsars over the years. Those areas wanted their independence.
• ❖ Russia forced 'Russification' on the non-Russian areas.
• ❖ Russian people got preferential treatment e.g. Russians were given jobs in the local government in preference to the local people.

How did discontent relate to political opposition in tsarist Russia?

There were 3 main issues with political opposition:

• ❖ Political parties were illegal so people could not express their political views.
• ❖ Despite being illegal, political groups that opposed the tsarist regime were set up. For example, groups included the Populists, Social Democrats, Social Revolutionaries, the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks.
• ❖ Some groups like the Social Revolutionaries, Social Democrats, the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks wanted to completely remove the tsarist regime through revolution.