October 16, 2015

The Other Russian Revolution


The Other Russian Revolution

September and October of this year have marked a number of anniversaries related to the 1905 Revolution. On this day, October 16, a railroad strike paralyzed Russia completely; the following day, October 17, faced with no choice, Tsar Nicholas II signed the October Manifesto, finally guaranteeing Russians constitutional rights: freedom of thought, speech, assembly, and others.

Ask someone what the Russian Revolution was, and they’ll probably tell you it was when the Soviets came to power in Russia. If they’re good with dates, they’ll tell you it was the October Revolution, so it happened in late October 1917 – but the anniversary is in November, because of the old calendar.

Push them a little more, ask they if they know any other events that might fit the bill, and they might recall that there was another revolution in 1917, known as the February Revolution (but actually occurred in early March), when the monarchy fell. Ask them again, and they’ll probably think you’re asking a trick question.

But you wouldn’t be! The first Russian revolution actually took place in 1905 – it just got overshadowed by the more life-changing events of 1917. Just like in the more famous revolutions, in 1905 unrest was triggered by a war that was not going well for Russia, the Russo-Japanese War to be specific. The greatest irony? The war had been started in part to avoid the exact outcome it created: in the infamous words of Russian Interior Minister Vyacheslav Plehve, “to stave off revolution we need a triumphant little war.” And as we know from the analogous 1914 promise “we’ll be home by Christmas,” wars that start with the intention of finishing soon have an unfortunate tendency to keep dragging on.

Workers on strike at the Putilovsky factory, just before the revolution heated up

Things came to a head back in January 1905, on Bloody Sunday, when the guards of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg shot into an unarmed crowd of protesters carrying a petition to the tsar. As many as 200 people were killed, hundreds more were injured, and the number of factories on strike skyrocketed. Revolutionary thinkers from Peter Struve to Vladimir Lenin wrote outraged articles about the ever-widening gap between the people and the monarchy, so callously demonstrated by the shootings.

Strikes and frenzied government activity continued all year. After asking a committee to look into creating a parliament back in January, in August Nicholas II signed a decree establishing the Duma, Russia’s first parliament. And yet strikes continued. In October a general strike rolled through Russia, and as industry and transportation ground to a halt, the tsar was forced to give the liberals what they wanted: freedoms.

And there was much rejoicing! ("October 17" by Ilya Repin)

The result, the October Manifesto, was a mini-constitution establishing civil rights and putting a check on the previously-absolute Russian monarchy – at least on paper. When, two years later, a mostly powerless Duma was disbanded entirely, Russians found out just how empty many of those promises were. Still unsatisfied, the Russian people geared up for 1917.

 

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955