The 1905 revolution in Russia was by no means a complete revolution. In order to accurately answer this statement, it is first advisable to look at what a revolution is. It is therefore convenient to observe what Russian society was like before 1905, during 1905 and after 1905, to establish whether or not a complete revolution occurred in the so-called revolution of 1905. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayTo identify what to look for in the Russian Revolution of 1905 and to find out whether or not it was a real revolution, it is first It is important to define the true meaning of the word revolution. In the Macquarie dictionary the word revolution means complete overthrow of an established government or political system. In the Oxford School Dictionary it is also said that a revolution is the overthrow of the old government by force and its replacement with a new one. And in the Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary it speaks of a great upheaval: a radical change, esp. in government. From each of these different dictionaries; From the modern dictionary to that of the early 1900s, the meaning of the word revolution has been essentially the same. This means that if a revolution were to occur, in a country as a whole, the government system would have to be abolished and a new one would be created in its place (which in turn would create a completely different social structure). Knowing what the word revolution means confirms that the 1905 revolution was in fact not a revolution at all, even though Nicholas himself believed it was one at the time, indeed a revolution. This becomes clearer as each phase (i.e. before, during and after) of the 1905 revolution is uncovered. Secondly, it is essential to look at the context of Russia, before 1905, before looking at the actual period of the 1905 revolution, to understand how the events of the 1905 revolution did not in themselves create a revolution. Before the revolution of 1905, the living conditions of the majority of the population were appalling, and multitudes were unhappy. There were two sides to Russian society, on the one hand there was privileged Russia which included nobles, bureaucrats, a number of educated Russians and even the merchants (who often came from the peasantry), who owned most of the land. Peasants, or people of color, however, made up the majority of the Russian citizenry and worked the land owned by the nobility. Chekhov described the peasants in a story published in 1897: These people lived worse than cattle. The most insignificant petty clerk or official treated the peasants as if they were vagrants, and even addressed the village elders and church guardians as if they were inferior, and as if he had the right to do so. Chekhov came from Russian privileged society, came from an educated environment (he studied medicine at Moscow University). Income for most was also severe, from October 1903 to October 1904 real wages fell between 20 and 25 percent. Rapid industrialization caused a number of people to move into cities and towns, making them crowded. Many were dissatisfied with the great cultural barrier between Russia and Europe, as Russia was not progressing into modern times like them. This had to do with the Tsar's lack of commitment to reform. The Romanov imperial family had ruled Russia for more than three hundred years with absolute autocracy. (This meant that no political power was permitted, other than the Tsar, and that citizens did not possess freedom of speech, of the press, etc. *).In 1894 Nicholas became tsar. He was determined to rule as harshly as his father, but his character was weak and incompetent. He did not possess the qualities necessary to lead Russia through such a tumult of revolutionary acts, and many revolutionaries saw this as an opportunity to act. Revolutionary parties were illegal until 1905 but were gradually becoming more popular in the underground. Nicholas and the government ignored the growth of revolutionary parties in the 1890s. In 1898 the Social Democratic Labor Party was founded and in 1900 the Social Revolutionaries were formed. Both wanted reforms in the social and political sectors. In 1903 the Social Democratic Workers' Party split into two groups: the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks. The revolutionary word was beginning to emerge from the underground and an insurrection of rebellion was beginning to develop. As the Russian economy fell into depression, widespread urban and rural unrest erupted. Partly because of these unrest, the government brought Russia into war with Japan. There were many Russian troops, but they behaved very badly, had insufficient equipment and inadequate clothing. The Russian army suffered a disastrous succession of defeats. Ultimately the Russian forces were defeated. This defeat, in turn, led to the beginning of the revolutionary events that were to come, and had already begun to occur. Russia, at this stage, had a dominant power, the Tsar, had the ability to rule as he pleased, and get rid of troublesome business leaders at any time. Russia was underdeveloped compared to the rest of the world and had extreme class struggles. Many were unhappy. By looking at this overview of Russian society before 1905 it will become easier to understand that the 1905 Revolution was actually not a revolution at all, as the government system was not completely overthrown and no major changes in society occurred. It is important to establish what events happened and why they happened during the year 1905, to provide evidence that the events were revolutionary, but the year itself was not a revolution. By January 21, 1905, more than 110,000 citizens had gone out of work. In February 1905 there was a period of chaotic and disjointed strikes. January 22, 1905, commonly known as Bloody Sunday, was a revolutionary event only because of what followed, not because of what actually happened that day: a group of workers and their families set out, with the support of numerous officials, to present a petition to the tsar. As they approached the Winter Palace, soldiers armed with rifles hit them with bullets. Father Gapon, the leader of the procession, explains how he felt towards the Tsar after the horrible event, Perhaps this anger saved me, because I knew the very truth that a new chapter had been opened in the book of our people's history. more a tsar for us, I exclaimed. Then a series of events occurred. In June the crew of the battleship Potoinkin threw the officers overboard and took control of the ship. Georgians and Poles took advantage of this moment of chaos; declared independence from Russian rule. Hence the "October Revolution". Peasants and workers rose up in an elemental, anarchic rebellion, eventually resulting in a large-scale strike and bringing the government, the economy, and all public services to a complete halt. Business after business, factory after factory, city after city stopped work. The railway lines were the channels along which the strike epidemic spread. Unrest in the cities encouraged peasants to take over landowners' estates, crops, and livestock. Nicholas describes the riots from his point of view in a letter to his wife,Nothing but new strikes in schools and factories, murdered policemen, Cossacks and soldiers, riots, riots, mutinies. By October 1905, relations between the Tsar and his subjects had improved to a complete collapse. The Tsar realized that there were two possibilities that could restore his status, and perhaps even quell the revolution. These had to either find an energetic soldier and put down the rebellion by force alone [or] give the people their civil rights. He decided to follow the more peaceful path. With the help of his advisors he wrote the October Manifesto, which he signed. It became an official document on October 30, 1905. It gave Russian citizens civil rights and the right to a Duma. It basically promised to end the abuses of the autocracy. The October Manifesto had a mixed reception: many were satisfied, others saw it as the first concession in a battle for more radical reforms, and some doubted that the Tsar would keep his promises. After the Manifesto was written and received, in December all members of the Soviet were arrested and sent into exile in Siberia. The army was sent to crush the soviet and more than a thousand were killed. The Tsar continued to repress other areas of the revolution, and a gang of thugs often known as the Black Hundreds organized massacres against the revolution. Even at the end of 1905 Russia still had a central governing power, the Tsar. He still had the ability to rule at will and to get rid of troublesome business ringleaders at any time, this is demonstrated by his attempt to crush the revolutionaries. Russia was still underdeveloped compared to the rest of the world and still had extreme class struggles. Many were dissatisfied with the Tsar's course of action towards the so-called revolution of 1905. Finally, it is important to look at the consequences of the revolution to observe the effects that took place in society and to understand how the government, in essence, had remained the same ; no radical change had occurred. From the October Manifesto a Duma was formed. This Duma was supposed to share the tsar's power with the Russian citizens. But the manifesto was just a bunch of words on a page, and the revolutionary parties did not trust Nicholas' word. They were right in December of that year, when the Soviets were arrested. By March 1906 the so-called revolution was over. The Duma met for the first time in May, and Nicholas had established a series of fundamental laws, one of which stated: To the Emperor of all Russians belong the supreme autocratic powers. In other words, for Nicholas, Duma or no Duma, Russia was still an autocracy. Nicholas even appointed a new Prime Minister, called Peter Stolypin, to ensure that there were no more outbreaks of revolution. The majority of the Russian people were satisfied with the new system. But as time passes they begin to realize how little change the 1905 revolution brought. The Tsar began to disappoint the public by showing how unreliable and corrupt his system of government was. This was demonstrated during the First World War, when Nicholas appointed himself first in charge. In this way he took the blame for all the defeats he received. Another problem that arose was that he left his German wife Alexandra to rule Russia during his absence. Rasputin, a close family friend, made his way into government affairs through Alexandra. He fired 21 ministers and replaced them with men of his own choosing. The public was very affected by all these incidents and this left them a little unhappy and dissatisfied. After 1905 Russia still had an autocratic ruler, the Tsar. He still had the ability to rule at will.