Davison History Department

 

What Was Russia Like Before 1905?

 

Russia was an enormous empire with a population of 125 million. This was made up of about 44% Russians, plus many other nationalities such as Poles, Finns and Ukrainians, who all wanted their independence. Russia had been ruled for centuries by Tsars. In 1905 the Tsar was called Nicholas II. His wife was a German princess called Alexandra. They had 5 children: Olga, Maria, Tatiana, Anastasia and Alexei. Alexei, the only boy, had haemophilia, a disease which prevented his blood from clotting (although this was not widely known in Russia). Their surname was Romanov. Romanovs had ruled Russia since 1613. The Tsar lived in huge luxury in The Winter Place in St Petersburg, the capital city.

 

Russia was ruled by a system called autocracy. This meant the Tsar had absolute power. There was no parliament to help him make decisions. Russia was not only politically backward. Its industry was underdeveloped compared to the rest of Europe and 80% of the population were peasant farmers. They lived and worked in terrible poverty. In the early 20th century Russian industries such as coal, iron, steel and oil production had made progress under the Minister, Witte. Many peasants moved to cities like St Petersburg and Moscow to work in the factories. There they faced conditions of appalling poverty and hardship with low wages, high prices, squalid, living conditions, no workers rights and child labour. It contrasted starkly with the luxurious lifestyle of the aristocracy, who owned over 95% of the wealth.

The Tsar used the Russian Orthodox Church to maintain control-in the churches priests encouraged loyalty to the Tsar. He also used his Secret Police-the Okhrana to imprison or exile his enemies