1 янв 1905 г. - Russian Revolution of 1905 + The Duma

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Military disaster brought political upheaval. The business and professional classes had long wanted a liberal, representative government. Peasants had gained little and suffered from poverty and lack of land. Minorities continued to call for self-rule. These tensions converged in the revolution of 1905. In January, a massive crowd peacefully marched on the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg to present a petition, but were suddenly gunned down by troops, which killed and wounded hundreds in the Bloody Sunday massacre. Strikes, political rallies, peasant uprisings, revolts among minority nationalities and mutinies by troops occurred. The Revolution of 1905 culminated in October and forced the government to capitulate. To throw the people a bone, Nicholas II issued the October Manifesto, which granted full civil rights and promised a popularly elected Duma, a parliament with real legislative power. This helped split opposition to the government.

On the eve of the first Duma, the government issued the new constitution, the Fundamental Laws. Although the Duma was elected indirectly by universal male suffrage with a largely appointive upper house and could debate and pass laws, the tsar retained great powers and had an absolute veto. Middle-class liberals saw it as a step backwards, and it was eventually dismissed. Nicholas and his advisers, including prime minister Pyotr Stolypin, rewrote the electoral law to greatly increase the electoral weight of the conservative propertied class. The government pushed through agrarian reforms designed to break down collective village ownership of land and encourage the more enterprising peasants. The government reformed the education and banking systems, but were accompanied by harsh repression of dissidents and radicals.

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