Historical Context
By 1905, the ageing Russian autocracy was a system in terminal decline. Strikes, unrest and mutiny sprang up across the vast Russian landscape where, for centuries, the bulk of the peasant population had been told that the Tsar was a saintly father figure; inviolable, all-powerful and divinely appointed.
Demonstrations in St. Petersburg on 22 January 1905 helped to shatter this illusion. Tsarist soldiers opened fire on protesters, killing 140-240 people. The crowd had been pro-Tsar, carrying pictures and banners of Tsar Nicholas II, and only wished to present a petition to him. This event, Bloody Sunday, sparked the revolution and helped turn the tide against the autocracy.
By its conclusion the revolution had succeeded only partially in dismantling the complete absolutist system that ruled over Russia. The October Manifesto and the constitution of 1906 established a State Duma and a multi-party system, but the Tsar retained great power for himself.
The reforms quelled the immediate protests, but the House of Romanov would last scarcely another decade before it collapsed in the 1917 revolution.
Photo Info
Photographer: Unknown
Location taken: St. Petersburg, Russia
Source: German Federal Archives
Related Events
- 1905-01-22 In St Petersburg, Russia, a large demonstration of workers led by Father Gapon, march to the Winter Palace with a petition to the Tsar; troops fire on protesters in what becomes known as 'Bloody Sunday'
Related Articles and Photos
Catherine the Great Builds a New Russia
Catherine the Great, who died on this day, dragged Russia into the modern era while leading a life filled with political drama, sexual intrigue – and murder.
November 6, 1796A Humorous Diplomatic Atlas of Europe and Asia
Japanese anti-Russian satirical map titled "A Humorous Diplomatic Atlas of Europe and Asia"
February 9, 1904Battle of Tsushima
Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō on the bridge of Mikasa, at the beginning of the Battle of Tsushima in 1905.
May 27, 1905Execution of the Romanovs
The basement room in Ipatiev House where the Romanov royal family and their staff were executed. The holes in the walls are from investigators searching for bullets.
July 17, 1918
Related Famous People
Tsar of Russia
Nicholas II