Why Was There A Revolution In 1905?

The 1905 revolution occurred to various reasons, like its weak government, its poor living and working conditions, the rise of revolutionaries and the Russo-Japanese war.

Firstly, one cause was Russia's weak and corrupted government. Russia's government was not able to able to satisfy or even understand the urgent needs and necessities of its people. The tsar, whose was considered divine by his people, was actuality an incompetent leader who cared more about his family rather than to improve his country's welfare. He spent extravagantly while more than 80% of his countrymen were peasants. Despite the demands of the people, the tsar refused to grant reforms to lessen the discontent

of the people. The tsar also did not allow any form of political freedom which greatly curbed any prospect to improve their standards of living. The press was censored heavily and the tsar employed the secret police, the okhrana, who spied on people who bad-mouthed the government and punished them, instilling a sense of fear into the people. Therefore, the weak and corrupt government of Russia was a cause of the 1905 revolution.

Secondly, the people lived in poor living and working conditions. Poverty and starvation was rife. The peasants, who formed 80% of the population, were mostly illiterate, prone to diseases due to bad hygiene, and financially bankrupt as they were heavily in debt due to taxation. The increase in population also put more pressure on the land and as most farmers used the medieval system of strip farming and were themselves too poor, the food production was insufficient for the rising population. Due to industrialization, many peasants were forced into the cities which were already overcrowded. The influx of new residents in the cities made the living conditions of the people worse. Therefore, the poor living and working conditions of the people also caused the 1905 revolution.

Lastly, even though there were many reasons for the revolution, the trigger of the