Russia Industrialization and 1905 Revolution

The 1905 revolution was, in many aspects, a result of Russia's rapid industrialization. This essay aims to explain how the country's rapid industrialization from the 1880s led to the 1905 revolution. It will begin by analyzing Russia's industrialization and what took place during this period. Thereafter, the essay will shed light on how the activities that took place during industrialization contributed to the 1905 revolution.

Russia's Rapid Industrialization

The Russian Empire's industrialization was a reaction to the industrialization process that had already started in Western Europe. It was during the reign of Peter I that the first steps of increasing industry development were taken. However, it was in the 1880s that machine production was introduced in leading industries and vehicles (Blackwell). This period is considered the start of the Russian Empire's industrial revolution. The industrialization process persisted up until 1917 and later during the Soviet industrialization. Russia had been lagging behind compared to the countries of the West in terms of industrial development. As such, they were in a race to try and catch up with these advanced countries.

In the 1880s, Russia's economy steadily focused on natural resources and agriculture. Moreover, Sergei Witte's policies led to a reform period in the same years, contributing to rapid industrialization all over Russia. Industrialization helped to develop the industrial sector of the country's economy. In turn, this enabled the increase in labor productivity and in a way, it provided the country with industrial goods. However, with this growth and transformation came several problems

Factors that led to the rapid Industrialization

Among the factors that influenced Russia's industrialization process was the agricultural empire. The country had a lot of economic opportunities, land as well as natural resources. Therefore, Russian leaders started to develop trading relationships with European countries at the beginning of the 1800s to export grains and timber. However, most of the money that flowed into the nation was not invested in industrialization. Rather, it was pocketed by landowners and aristocrats. Although industrial projects were proposed in several cases, Russia rarely embraced these ideas as they threatened the financial interests of conservative landowners. It was after the 1853-1856 Crimean War that Russia's underdevelopment was exposed, showing the urgent need the country had for industrialization (Owen, 592). This is because the Russian factories could not produce weapons or any machinery that matched her enemies. The railway system in the country was also very poor as it had insufficient rolling stock and lines to move either equipment or men in large amounts.

Another factor is the reforms by Alexander II and those by Sergei Witte. The reforms supported by Alexander II in 1860, including freeing the serfs, stimulated changes in the Russian economy. These reforms freed so many peasants from the land and control of land owners (Bernstein, 1134). In addition to this, Alexander II's government brought about a number of big infrastructure projects, including the construction of the railway. Through the emergence of Sergei Witte (a mathematician put in charge of the planning and construction of the Russian railway system), these projects were boosted (Reichman 40). Witte made it possible for outsiders to invest in the industrial ventures of the country and improved Russia's currency. This led to a dramatic increase in the industrialization process of Russia.

Effects of the Industrialization Process

Industrialization in the Russian Empire led to many changes in society at large. One noticeable change was that work that was previously done at home through the use of hands in cottage industries began being carried out in factories. These factories had numerous unsafe and harsh working conditions for the workers. To begin with, the machines used in the factories posed critical threats to the lives of the people working there. The work carried out in coal mines was even more deadly compared to factories.

In addition to this, laborers worked for very long hours only to be paid very little. On average, a laborer would work for more than 13 hours a day for six days in a week (Cheremukhin et al., 640). Due to the fear of losing their jobs, these workers could not complain to their employees about the terrible working conditions and low wages. On the contrary, the factory and mine owners had great control over the lives of their workers. They even employed child labor since they realized that women and children could be paid less compared to men. As a result, children were forced to work as it reduced the production costs and increased the profits for the mine and factory owners. Therefore, in this era, the working class continued to live in poverty whereas the bosses (who consisted of the middle class), became more and more wealthier.

However, in the 1880s, individuals in the working class started demanding reforms. This led to the creation of unions, which consisted of several workers joining together in voluntary labor associations. These unions represented laborers in a specific trade. The labour unions were used to negotiate and bargain collectively with their employees to ask for increased pay, improved working conditions, and reduced working hours.

Among the most significant tools used by these labor unions was organizing strikes by workers who refused to work in case the demands were not met. The unions were also helpful in lobbying for laws that would improve the lives of workers, women, and children. This helped to gain the attention of various governments, such as the IS, which helped to pass laws that protected workers and especially helped to stop child labor.

However, despite the negative effects, the industrialization process in Russia also had some positive impacts. It helped increase people's living standards and the production of goods, and it also increased the wealth of people as well as the nation at large. Due to the growth of the agricultural sector, individuals gained access to healthier foods/ diets. There was also the development of better housing, and goods were sold at a cheaper price. The health care sector also improved and people became more healthier.

Moreover, the industrialization of Russia brought along several changes for women. This is because many women entered the workforce for the first time during this period. Just like men, women had to compete for jobs. However, since the female workers were only paid one third of what the men were being paid, they started to lead reforms so as to change this. Soon after, more and more women started becoming more involved in politics helping them to gain the right to vote and suffrage.

1905 revolution

The revolution has a tie to the Russo-Japanese War. The cause of the war was due to the belief that the advisers had and their goal towards the war. The advisers to the Tsar viewed the war as an opportunity for Russia to uplift their position in the Pacific and to promote the spirit of patriotism in the country. However, things did not go as expected, instead of the glory speculated by the Tsar’s advisors, Russia suffered a humiliation under the Japanese as they were defeated and the failure led to unrest in their homeland. In 1905, a group of people gathered to peacefully demonstrate their grievances to the Tsar. However, upon reaching the Tsar’s winter palace, they found that he was absent ((Reichman 37). Tsar’s ministers showed uncertainty about the proper action to take, and the soldiers sensed the tension that was building up from the crowd; therefore, they reacted to the situation by releasing bullets into the crowd, killing hundreds of people (Ascher). The massacre was later named Bloody Sunday, and from there, it led Russia into chaos. The aftermath of the chaos was that banks were closed, trains were halted, and industries were paralyzed. The moment allowed the revolutionary leaders to come from exile while the Soviets occupied Moscow and St. Petersburg. Political rebels also participated in the chaos, urging the Tsar to change the government to a representative government.

During the revolution, Lenin grasped the chance and ordered a series of attacks on Mensheviks. Later, he returned to Russia and took the leadership of the Bolsheviks in St. Petersburg (Ragulina et al). The Tsar began to solve the grievances of the people, hence causing the uprising momentum to decrease slowly. He was desperate to restore order, and the first step to achieve this goal was to make peace with Japan; he later issued a manifesto that promised the formation of a new legislative assembly and civil rights (Fitzpatrick). This move split the opposition, the middle-class liberals felt that the promise was good to them hence they withdrawn their support from the revolutionary violence. However, the peasants and laborers were still not pleased with the promised reforms hence their unrest continued. After securing the leadership of St. Petersburg, the government felt at ease.

Influence of industrialization on the Russia revolution

Aside from the Russo-Japanese War leading to the Russian Revolution, there were other indirect causes that prompted it. It laid in the political, industrial, social, and agrarian developments. The revolution marked the preceding century, whereby the Russian government was backward and unjust (Reichman 34). Farmers had to pay the government through instalments while also being subjected to heavy taxes. Tsar was aware of the backward state, and he saw modernization as a solution; hence, he pushed for it. Modernization led to an increase in industries and made the peasants work at the factories. The conditions in the factories were harsh and miserable. This made the workers unhappy with their work environment. The workers became aware of the unbearable conditions, and the consequence of this led to strikes. The strikes were directed towards the managers of the factories and the government. Tsar and his government rather than solving the issue at hand, they sought to start a war with Japan which later on led to defeats and humiliation.

Later, the protest followed, led by Father Gapon, with the aim of letting the Tsar know of the economic and social concerns, but the protestants were received by heavy fire. This led to the revolution (Henderson). Additionally, poverty, hunger and the war with the Japanese also contributed towards the revolution. On top of this, rapid industrialization led to an increased number of people in the cities. In Saint Petersburg, the population increased from 1033600 to 1905600 (Ascher). The living conditions were so bad that six people had to share a room.

Moreover, there was no running water, and human waste was piling up, hence a threat to the workers' lives. The poor living conditions increased the strikes that were happening. In the industries, the workers continued to work long hours, which was dangerous. They ate poor food, such as stale bread, in crowded meal houses. Therefore, industrialization contributed to the 1905 revolution by inflicting pain on the workers through unbearable working conditions, economic exploitation where they had to pay money to the government in instalments, the harsh living conditions and the massacre that occurred at the Winter Palace.

Conclusion

Russia was considered a backward economy for most part of the 1800's. Compared to the countries of Western Europe, Russia was lagging behind. Its economy was dominated by agrarian production. Rapid industrialization in the Russian Empire contributed to the 1905 Revolution in many ways. It caused unrest due to factors such as child labor, poor working conditions, discontent among individuals, low salaries /wages, and outlawed trade unions. The growth of factories also brought about several new problems, such as unsafe working environments. These factors led to unrest among workers in Russia during this period, thus contributing to the sparking of 1905.

Works Cited

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Fitzpatrick, Sheila. The Russian Revolution. Oxford University Press, 2017.

Henderson, William Otto. The Industrial Revolution on the Continent: Germany, France, Russia 1800-1914. Vol. 73. Taylor & Francis, 2005.

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