With the assignation
of Interior Minister Plehve, a new Interior Minister, Pyotr Sviatopolk-Mirsky,
relaxed controls against dissent. The relaxation resuscitated hopes of reforms.
The Tsar fueled further calls for reforms when he plunged the country into the
terrible Russo-Japanese War. Explore how the reformist movements restarted and
the factor of the Russo-Japanese War contributed to the Russian Revolution of
1905.Under Interior Minister Pyotr Sviatopolk-Mirsky
Interior
Minister Pyotr Sviatopolk-Mirsky took a more subtle stand than his predecessor.
Although he did not had the extreme reactionary inclination as Phleve, he
wasn’t also a liberal. He relaxed controls over political activities that made reformist
and revolutionaries to reinvigorate movements for reforms.
In
November 1904, representatives from various Zemstvos met in St. Petersburg.
With the consent of the local police, the representatives formed the Union of
Zemstvos and Town Assemblies. The meeting, however, ended with a split between
the Conservative Liberals and Liberals. Conservative Liberals only wanted
representation in the central government while the Liberals wanted a
constitutional monarchy. Nonetheless, they both agreed that Russian government
must change one way or another and the Tsar must recognize civil liberties and
freedoms.
After
the convocation of the Union of Zemstvos and Town Assemblies, liberals began
what became known as the Banquet Campaign. It ran from November 1904 to January
1905. Through private gatherings or banquets conducted in over 26 cities in
Russia, liberals discussed political reforms and pushed for the creation of a
constituent assembly.
A
month following the meeting of the Union of Zemstvos, the Moscow Duma passed a
resolution calling for the creation of a constituent assembly and guarantee of
civil liberties. In answer to the calls of the Union and the Moscow Duma, Tsar
Nicholas II signed a decree extending individual freedom and autonomy of local
governments. Although, the effects of the decree never fully realize as the
climate of situation deteriorated the next month – January of 1905.
The
tenure of Minister Mirsky and his moderate stand allowed the revival for calls
for liberties and political reforms. But another factor for the sudden rise of
reformist movement was the worsening results of the Russo-Japanese War.
Russo-Japanese War
For
the past 50 years, China had been sliced into different spheres of influence by
western powers and Japan. The Opium War opened the ports of China to western
countries while Japan also gained a slice of conquest over the declining Qing
Empire after the Sino-Japanese War in the 1890’s. China further suffered humiliation
and defeat when troops of eight western Empire including Russia along with the
Japanese marched into the Forbidden City during the Boxer Rebellion.
Russia
wanted to extend further its influence in the East and to seek the warm waters
of the Pacific Ocean for the Russian Navy. The completion of the Trans-Siberian
Railway with some section laid in the Chinese region of Manchuria contributed to
Russian imperialist ambition. However, Russia had an opponent for the control
of the region – Japan.
The
Land of the Rising Sun, after almost fifty years of transformation under the Meiji
Restoration, desired to stand equal with the west by building an Empire for
herself. She already had a strong foothold in Korea and wanted to expand to
China through Manchuria. They saw with grave concern Russia’s actions in
Manchuria. In 1903, Japan scored an alliance with the British who also saw Russian
expansionism with suspicion. Japan and Russia tried to settle the Manchurian
question through negotiations. However, this broke down in February 5, 1904
(New Style).
Japan
launched a pre-emptive strike three days later on February 8, 1904. A Japanese
fleet attacked Port Arthur in Manchuria leading to several month of blockade.
Russian and Japanese forces mobilized their military to the region. Russia used
its Trans-Siberian railroad to send troops from west to east while the Japanese
landed troops in Korea.
The
Tsarist government saw the war as an opportunity to unite the country in
fighting a foreign foe. They also saw it as a chance to score victory and to
show to the opposition that autocracy won wars and bring glory to Russia. For a
while, the people did unite behind the Tsar and forgot most of the reform
demands. But soon enough, they had episodes of disillusionment.
Russia
suffered defeats and thousands of casualties. In May 1904, Russia suffered
2,500 killed in the Battle of the Yalu River. Following the land defeat,
Russia’s Vladivostok Naval Squadron fell to the Japanese Navy. As Russia’s
Pacific fleet laid in ruins, Nicholas and his admirals sent the Russian Baltic
Fleet to the Pacific to reinforce Port Arthur. However, Japan’s ally Britain
refused to give the Russian fleet access to the Suez Canal forcing the Russian
commanders to sail south towards the Cape of Good Hope before proceeding to the
Indian Ocean then to the Pacific. Before the Baltic Fleet arrived, on January
2, 1905 (New Style), Port Arthur fell to the Japanese. The Russian army
retreated to Mukden where on March 10, 1905 (New Style), a long and arduous
battle claimed the lives of 97,000 Russian troops. Defeated in land, Russia
also suffered a huge defeat in sea when in May 27, 1905, the Russian Baltic
Fleet, after their long journey, sank before the Japanese in the Battle of
Tsushima.
The
huge number of casualties and the defeat of two fleets forced the Tsar to
negotiate a peace treaty. Tsar Nicholas sent Sergei Witte to America to obtain
a face-saving deal. Eventually, Russia did not loss too much when the Treaty of
Portsmouth was signed between Japan and Russia. However, much of the news of
peace did little to alleviate what became a serious threat to the Tsarist regime
back in Western Russia.
The
Tsarist government loss the confidence of the Russian people. The Russian
people, on the other hand saw their government as inept and incompetent. The
war, which Nicholas and other ministers saw a way to pacify opposition and
bring back glory and popularity to the establishment, led only to defeat,
suffering, and hardship for many. The popularity of the government plummeted
and the people went on a revolutionary wave, especially after the events of
Bloody Sunday.
Explore also:
Bibliography:
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the Russian Revolution. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1995.
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Palmer,
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General
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"Jadidism," Historical Dictionary of Kazakhstan.
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"Revolution
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Online
Newspaper Articles:
A Russian Correspondent of The
New York Times. "Russian Tells Story of Sunday's Massacre." New York Times (January 25 1905). URL: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9505E0D6173AE733A25756C2A9679C946497D6CF
"Troops Overawe St. Petersburg." New York Times (January 24, 1905). URL: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C07EFDF1F3BE631A25757C2A9679C946497D6CF
"Iron Ruler for St. Petersburg." New York Times (January 25, 1905). URL: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9907E0D6173AE733A25756C2A9679C946497D6CF
"Revolution?" The Manchester Guardian (January 23, 1905). URL: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/1/4/1357302276132/Russia-1905-uprising-001.jpg
Websites:
Ascher, Abraham. "Revolution of 1905." Encyclopedia of Russian History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Feb. 2016. http://www.encyclopedia.com.
Trotsky, Leon. “1905.” Marxist Internet Archives. March 12, 2016. https://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1907/1905/
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