Causes and course of the revolution of 1905. Causes, stages, course of the revolution

The first Russian revolution became a new turn in the transformation of the Russian autocracy. So who was the organizer of this revolutionary struggle? Let's find out below.

Participants of the first Russian revolution 1905-1907

The beginning of the revolution was the procession of tens of thousands of people to the Winter Palace, led by priest Gapon, who compiled a petition to the sovereign, which did not call for revolution in any way. As a result, the tsarist troops opened fire on the demonstrators, setting up “Bloody Sunday.

Rice. 1. Bloody Sunday.

Practically from the first months, the nationwide composition of the Russian revolution appeared. The problems that have accumulated in Russia for decades have affected all sectors of society.

Even in the army environment there were representatives of the revolutionary movement. So, on the battleship "Prince Potemkin Tauride" the team went over to the side of the revolutionaries. Having sentenced the commander to death, the battleship went to Romania and the team there surrendered to the local authorities.

Rice. 2. Uprising on the battleship Potemkin.

The revolutionary movement was not spontaneous. At the head of the driving force in the composition of the proletariat, the peasants, the intelligentsia and individual army units were practically all the parties that were in opposition. Already by the beginning of the all-Russian strike, the revolutionary struggle was given organization by the "Party of Socialist-Revolutionaries", the RSDLP and the SDKPiL.

It is important to mention that at the time of the first Russian revolution, V. I. Lenin did not direct the activities of the RSDLP (b) directly, since he was abroad. The combat technical group under the Central Committee of the Party in St. Petersburg was headed by L. B. Krasin, and in Moscow by P. K. Sternberg. However, in early November 1905, under a false name and illegally, he managed to get into the capital and lead the preparations for an armed uprising. It was in 1905 that he first met I. V. Stalin. It did not work to overthrow the emperor in this revolution, which Lenin noted that he had exhausted all the revolutionary resources available at the moment.

What have we learned?

Despite the heterogeneity and the number of represented layers that took part in the First Russian Revolution, it should be noted that almost immediately it was picked up by organized parties or other organizations that set themselves the goal of fighting the autocracy. Thanks to their organization and discipline, they managed to direct the revolutionary activity in the right direction and get the tsar to sign the "October 17 Manifesto".

The Russian Revolution of 1905, or the First Russian Revolution, is the name of the events that took place between January 1905 and June 1907 in the Russian Empire.

The impetus for the beginning of mass demonstrations under political slogans was "Bloody Sunday" - the execution by imperial troops in St. Petersburg of a peaceful demonstration of workers led by priest Georgy Gapon on January 9 (22), 1905. unrest and uprisings took place in the fleet, which resulted in mass demonstrations against the monarchy.

The result of the speeches was an imposed constitution - the Manifesto of October 17, 1905, which granted civil liberties on the basis of personal immunity, freedom of conscience, speech, assembly and unions. The Parliament was established, consisting of the State Council and the State Duma. The revolution was followed by a reaction: the so-called "Third of June Coup" of June 3 (16), 1907. The rules for elections to the State Duma were changed to increase the number of deputies loyal to the monarchy; local authorities did not respect the freedoms declared in the Manifesto of October 17, 1905; the agrarian question, the most significant for the majority of the population of the country, was not resolved.

Thus, the social tension that caused the First Russian Revolution was not fully resolved, which set the stage for the subsequent revolutionary uprising in 1917.

Causes and results of the revolution

The industrial recession, disorder of money circulation, crop failure and huge public debt, which had grown since the Russo-Turkish war, led to an aggravation of the need to reform activities and authorities. The end of the period of essential importance of subsistence farming, an intensive form of progress in industrial methods, already for the 19th century required radical innovations in administration and law. Following the abolition of serfdom and the transformation of farms into industrial enterprises, a new institution of legislative power was required.

Causes:

There was an increase in contradictions in the country associated with the preservation of the remnants of serfdom in the economic and political life of the country. These contradictions determined the character of the revolution as bourgeois in its aims.

But at the same time, another "social war" arose, connected with the development of capitalist relations. This is the struggle of the working class and the poor peasantry against exploitation, for the reorganization of society on new principles. Their position was very bad.

The national question, the demands of political and cultural autonomy nat. minorities.

The Russian intelligentsia had a sharply negative attitude towards autocracy, bureaucracy, and the backward system

Dissatisfaction with tsarism in the army, where, due to the peasant composition of the soldier mass, relations between soldiers and officers were tense

Peculiarities:

Anti-feudal, because it demanded the destruction of feudal remnants

democratic, since it had as its goal the introduction of democratic rights and freedoms, a constitution

Questions of the revolution: 1. agrarian (peasant) question; 2. political system in Russia (struggle against autocracy); 3. national question.

Opposing Forces:

workers and peasants, the army, the intelligentsia; wanted to improve their situation, social. rights. Acted by methods of strikes, strikes, uprisings

the government of the tsar, the landlords; did not want to give up their power, did not make any concessions

Conflict “power – society”.

MAIN EVENTS OF THE REVOLUTION

Main events: Bloody Sunday January 9 (Gapon, a petition from a documentary book) - the execution of a workers' demonstration in St. Petersburg; January-February - a wave of the strike movement in the country, the activation of the Social Revolutionary terror; May - formation of the first workers' council in Ivanovo-Voznesensk; spring-summer - activation of the peasant movement, "fire epidemic", 1st congress of the All-Russian Peasant Union, the beginning of performances in the army and navy (June - uprising on the battleship Potemkin); autumn - the peak of the revolution: the All-Russian October political strike, the adoption of the tsar's Manifesto on October 17 (democratic rights and freedoms are proclaimed in Russia, elections to the State Duma are guaranteed), liberals who form their own political parties (cadets and Octobrists) are moving to open criticism of the authorities. After October 17, the liberals move away from the revolution and enter into a dialogue with the authorities. Left radical forces, not satisfied with the Manifesto, are trying to ensure the further development of the revolution. But the balance of power in the country is already taking shape in favor of the authorities. The December armed uprising in Moscow was defeated, led to bloodshed, and was recognized by many revolutionaries as premature.

The descending line of the revolution (1906 – June 3, 1907) – the authorities take the initiative into their own hands. In the spring, the "Basic State Laws" are adopted, fixing the change in the political system (Russia is being transformed into a "Duma" monarchy), elections are held for the I and II State Dumas. But the dialogue between the authorities and society turned out to be unproductive. The Duma actually did not receive legislative powers.

On June 3, 1907, with the dissolution of the Second Duma and the publication of a new electoral law, the revolution ends.

The revolution forced Nicholas II to sign on October 17 the Manifesto "On the improvement of the state order", proclaiming:

granting freedom of speech, conscience, assembly and association

involvement of the general population in the elections

obligatory procedure for approval by the State Duma of all issued laws

Numerous political parties arise and legalize in the country, formulating in their programs the requirements and ways of political transformation of the existing system and participating in elections to the Duma, the Manifesto laid the foundation for the formation of parliamentarism in Russia. This was a new step towards the transformation of the feudal monarchy into a bourgeois one. According to the Manifesto, the State Duma was characterized by certain features of the parliament. This is evidenced by the possibility of an open discussion of state issues, the need to send various requests to the Council of Ministers, and to make attempts to declare no confidence in the government. The next step was to change the electoral law. Under the new law of December 1905, four electoral curia were approved: from the landowners, the urban population, peasants and workers. Women, soldiers, sailors, students, landless peasants, laborers and some "foreigners" were deprived of the right to choose. The government, which continued to hope that the peasantry would be the backbone of the autocracy, provided it with 45% of all seats in the Duma. Members of the State Duma were elected for a term of 5 years. According to the Manifesto of October 17, the State Duma was established as a legislative body, although tsarism tried to evade this principle. The jurisdiction of the Duma was to include issues that require a legislative solution: the state list of income and expenses; state control report on the use of the state list; cases on alienation of property; cases on the construction of railways by the state; cases on the establishment of companies on shares. The State Duma had the right to request the government about illegal actions committed by ministers or chief executives. The Duma could not start a session on its own initiative, but was convened by decrees of the tsar.

On October 19, 1905, a decree was published on measures aimed at strengthening unity in the activities of ministries and main departments. In accordance with the decree, the Council of Ministers was reorganized, which was now entrusted with the leadership and unification of the actions of the chief heads of departments on management and legislation.

The meaning of the revolution

the revolution changed the political situation in Russia: constitutional documents appeared (the Manifesto of October 17 and the "Basic State Laws", the first parliament was formed - the State Duma, the composition and functions of the State Council changed, legal political parties and trade unions were formed, the democratic press was developed)

some limitation of autocracy (temporary) was achieved, although the possibility of making legislative decisions and all the fullness of executive power remained

the socio-political situation of Russian citizens has changed: democratic freedoms have been introduced, censorship has been abolished, it is allowed to organize trade unions and political parties (temporarily)

the bourgeoisie received a wide opportunity to participate in the political life of the country

the material and legal situation of workers has improved: wages have increased in a number of industries and the length of the working day has decreased

peasants achieved the abolition of redemption payments

during the revolution, the prerequisites for agrarian reform were created, which contributed to the further development of bourgeois relations in the countryside

the revolution changed the moral and psychological situation in the country: tsarist illusions in the countryside waned, unrest swept through part of the army and navy, the masses felt themselves subjects of history, the revolutionary forces accumulated considerable experience in the struggle, including the realization of the effective role of violence

Outcome

The end of the revolution led to the establishment of temporary internal political stabilization in the country. This time the authorities managed to take the situation under control and suppress the revolutionary wave. At the same time, the agrarian question remained unresolved, many feudal vestiges and privileges remained. As a bourgeois revolution, the revolution of 1905 did not fulfill all its tasks, it remained unfinished.

Similar information.

They are a violation of the balance between the ideological aspirations of the Russian thinking society and the current formats of its life. Russia has outgrown the form of the existing system. It is striving for a new system based on a legal society based on civil liberties.
S.Yu. Witte

The Russian bourgeois-democratic revolution of 1905-1907, which we will briefly talk about today, was one of the first stages, indicating that the people no longer wanted to live in the old way. The revolution of 1905 is very important because it preceded the revolution of 1917, it personified the problems in Russian society, as well as the unresolved conflicts of the foreign policy order of the world.

Causes of the Revolution

The main causes of the revolution of 1905-1907 are as follows:

Lack of political freedoms among the majority of the population of the Russian Empire.
unresolved agrarian question. Despite the abolition of serfdom in 1861, there were no significant changes for the peasants.
Difficult working conditions in plants and factories.
Russian failures in the Russo-Japanese War.
national question. Russia was a multinational country, but the rights of many small nations were.

In fact, the revolution advocated limiting the autocracy. There was no question here of overthrowing the monarchy in Russia, so the events of 1905-1907 should be regarded solely as preparations for the February and October revolutions of 1917. An important point, which is unlikely to be dissuaded in most history textbooks, is the financing of the revolution. In order for the people to rise to active actions, those who will lead the people must appear. These people, respectively, need money and influence. As the famous movie said, any crime has a financial footprint. And this trace really needs to be looked for, since pop Gapon is not suitable for the role of a person who created a revolution and raised it from scratch to active action.

I suggest looking for the origins of the first Russian revolution and the second Russian revolution in Witte's reforms. The monetary reform of 1897, after which the gold standard was introduced in the Russian Empire, actually pronounced a sentence on the country. The Russian ruble became more controlled by global financial institutions, and in order to finally fix the string, the system needed a revolution. The same scenario was tested not only in Russia, but also, for example, in Germany.

Main tasks

During the revolution, the following tasks were set:

Restriction or elimination of autocracy.
Creation of democratic foundations: political parties, freedom of speech, press, free choice of occupation, and so on.
Reducing the working day to 8 hours.
Allotment of land to peasants.
Establishment of equality of peoples in Russia.

Understanding these tasks is very important, since they cover not just one segment of the population, but practically the entire population of the Russian Empire. The tasks covered all segments of the population, so it was possible to reach the broad masses who took part in the revolution.

The revolution of 1905-1907 was essentially bourgeois-democratic. Bourgeois, since the tasks of the revolution included the final destruction of serfdom, and democratic, since the broad masses of the population took part in it: workers, peasants, soldiers, intelligentsia, and so on.

The course of the revolution and its stages

The revolution of 1905-1907 can be divided into three main stages: January-September 1905, October-December 1905, January 1906 - June 3, 1907. Let's take a closer look at each of these stages, but before that I want to dwell on 3 main indicators that allowed start a revolution and accelerate its progress:

The defeat of Russia during the Russo-Japanese War. Many historians say that Japanese intelligence actively financed the revolution in Russia. This was necessary to weaken the enemy from within. Of course, there are no traces to prove this theory, but an interesting fact is that as soon as the Russo-Japanese War ended, the first Russian revolution of 1905 began to decline.
Crisis of 1900-1903. It was an economic crisis that hit the main sections of the population, especially the poor, very painfully.
Bloody Sunday January 9, 1905. It was after this day that the revolution began to gain momentum, as blood was shed.

The first stage of the revolution: January-September 1905

On January 3, a strike began at the Putilov factory, which was supported by most of the large factories in St. Petersburg. The reason is layoffs of several workers. At the head of the strike was the organization "Assembly of Russian factory workers of the city of St. Petersburg", which was headed by priest Gapon. During the strike, they began to write a petition to the tsar, which they decided to take to the Winter Palace on January 9th. The petition consisted of five main points:

The release of all those who suffered for strikes, for political and religious beliefs in the country.
Declarations of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of conscience, freedom of religion and personal integrity.
Compulsory free education for all citizens.
Responsibility of ministers and ministries to the people.
Equality of all before the law.

Please note that the petition itself is not a call for a revolution. Therefore, the events of January 3-8 can be seen as preparation for the revolution of 1905-1907. But the question is who prepared and who organized the first Russian revolution, if the protesters wanted to change the country, but did not call for taking up arms? Therefore, it is very important to study the issues of January 9, 1905, which went down in history as Bloody Sunday, since it was a provocation that came from both the priest Gapon and the tsarist army.

Main events

Table 2. Dates and events of the first stage of the revolution: January-September 1905

date of	Event
January 3 - 8	Workers' strikes in St. Petersburg. Preparing a petition to the king.
January 9	Bloody Sunday. The execution of a 140,000-strong workers' demonstration moving towards the Winter Palace.
January February	Mass strikes of workers who opposed the events of January 9th.
January 19	Nicholas 2 speaks to the workers. In his speech, the emperor notes that he forgives all the protesters, that the protesters themselves are to blame for the execution, and that if such petitions and demonstrations are repeated, executions will be repeated.
February March	The beginning of the peasant riots. Captured approximately 1/6 of the county in Russia. The beginning of the boycott by the workers. The demonstrations are attended by workers, peasants and intellectuals.
February 18	Acts on the convocation of the State Duma, the so-called Bulygin Duma, are published.
1st of May	The uprising of the weavers in Łódź. Demonstrations in Warsaw, Reval and Riga. To suppress the army used weapons.
May 12 - July 23	Workers' strike in Ivanovo-Voznesensk.
June 14-25	Uprising on the battleship "Prince Potemkin-Tavrichesky".
July	By order of the government, all factories raised the wages of workers.
July 31 - August 1	Congress of the Peasants' Union.
July August	The active stage of repression by the state, expressed in mass arrests of protesters.

Strikes during the revolution

Change in the number of strikes in Russia from 1905 to 1916.

Second stage of the revolution: October-December 1905

All-Russian strike

On September 19, Moscow newspapers came out demanding economic changes. In the future, these demands were supported by the workers of Moscow enterprises, as well as railway workers. As a result, the largest strike of the revolution of 1905-1907 began. Today this strike is called all-Russian. More than 2 million people from more than 50 cities took part in it. As a result, the protesters began to spontaneously form Soviets of Workers' Deputies in the cities. For example, on October 13, the Soviet of Workers' Deputies appeared in St. Petersburg.

To understand the significance of those events, it should be noted once again that 2 million people took part in them, and during the event, classes were canceled in all educational institutions, banks, pharmacies, and shops stopped working. It was during the October strike that the slogans "Down with autocracy" and "Long live the democratic republic" were first heard. The situation began to get out of control and the tsar was forced to sign a manifesto "On the improvement of the state order" dated October 17, 1905. This manifesto contained 3 main provisions:

All people receive civil liberties and personal immunity. Freedom of speech, conscience, assembly and association is also proclaimed. Freedom of conscience means freedom of religion.
Even those strata of the population who before 1905 were deprived of civil and voting rights are involved in the work of the State Duma.
Not a single law of the Russian Empire could be adopted without the approval of the State Duma.

The first two points are very important for the population, but not critical for the country. But the last point is very important for the history of Russia. The recognition that the monarch cannot issue independent laws without the approval of the State Duma is the end of autocracy. In fact, after 1905, autocracy ended in Russia. An emperor who cannot pass all the laws he considers necessary cannot be considered an autocrat. Therefore, from 1905 to 1917 in Russia there was a form of government reminiscent of a constitutional monarchy.

December events in Moscow

It would seem that the manifesto of October 17, 1905 was supposed to extinguish the center of the revolution, but the fact is that the political parties regarded the signing of this document as a diplomatic move by the tsarist government, which thereby tried to suppress the revolution, but was not going to execute the manifesto. As a result, preparations began for a new stage of the revolution. Moreover, this stage was supposed to result in an armed conflict, because the revolutionaries for the first time began to purchase weapons on a large scale. On December 7, 1905, the Moscow Soviet of Workers' Deputies, which was formed only in November, appealed to all citizens with a demand to stop work and start a strike. This demand was heeded by all the Moscow workers, and they were supported by everyone and the workers of St. Petersburg. The government decided to suppress the rebellion with the help of the army, as a result of which an active armed conflict began. It happened on December 10th.

The fighting in Moscow went on for 7 days. About 6,000 people spoke on the side of the revolutionaries. The workers began to form their own quarters, blocking them with barricades. On December 15, the Guards Semyonovsky Regiment arrived in Moscow, which immediately began shelling the workers' positions. The main events took place on Presnya. But the forces were unequal, so on December 19 the Moscow Soviet of Workers' Deputies decided that the uprising was ending. There is no specific data on the victims, official sources only say that more than 1,000 people were killed and arrested in these events. It was the culmination of the revolution of 1905-1907, after which its intensity began to decline.

Main dates and events

Table 3. Dates and events of the second stage of the revolution: October-December 1905

date of	Event	The reaction of the authorities
October 7-15	General Russian political strike. The workers acted in an organized manner, stopping the work of almost all large factories, post office, telegraph, transport, educational institutions and so on.	In response to this, on October 12, Nicholas 2 signed an order on the use of weapons to suppress strikes, and on October 17 he signed a manifesto "On the improvement of the state order."
October November	Political parties are being created. The peasant movement is growing stronger. In the European part of Russia, approximately 1/2 of all county lands were captured. New "peasant republics" with their own power were formed there. At the same time, there was an uprising in the fleet of Kronstadt and Sevastopol.	Manifesto of November 3 "On the reduction of redemption payments" by half in 1906, and on the complete abolition of redemption payments from January 1, 1907. The active stages of the uprising, primarily in the navy, were suppressed.
November December	Spontaneous uprisings in large cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, where Soviets of Workers' Deputies were formed.	The army arrested all the leaders of the Soviets of Workers' Deputies.
December 7-9	Beginning and preparation of the big strike in Moscow
December 10-19	Armed uprising in Moscow.	On December 11, a new electoral law of the Russian Empire is adopted. On December 17-19, a new execution of the rebels. The armed uprising was put down.
December	Armed uprisings in Nizhny Novgorod, in the Urals, in Vladivostok, Kharkov, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnoyarsk, in Georgia, in the Caucasus.	Armed suppression of uprisings.

Third stage of the revolution: January 1906 - June 3, 1907

The third stage of the revolution is characterized by a significant decrease in the number of strikes. That is, as soon as the war with Japan ended, the number of uprisings immediately decreased. This is an amazing fact, which once again proves that the revolutionaries have Japanese funding.

One of the first major events of 1906 was on February 2, when the act on the creation of the State Duma was signed. The Duma was created for 5 years, and the tsar retained the right to dissolve it and announce new elections. From March 26 to April 20, elections to the First State Duma of the Russian Empire were held. From April 27 to July 8, the activities of the first State Duma in Russia continued, but these meetings did not create any significant documents. On July 10, 1906, the so-called "Vyborg views" were signed in protest of the deputies against the dissolution of the Duma. In February 1907, elections to the Second State Duma began, the activity of which began on February 20 and continued until June 2, 1907. The Duma was chaired by the Cadet Golovin, the main issue for discussion was the agrarian question.

Among the important events of the third stage are the following:

On April 23, 1906, the main code of laws of the Russian Empire was published, with amendments due to the revolution.
November 9, 1906 - a decree allowing peasants to receive plots for personal use after leaving the community.
July 3, 1907 - a manifesto was signed on the dissolution of the Duma and the adoption of a new electoral law. This ended the revolution.

The results of the revolution

Table 4. Results of the revolution 1905-1907

	Before the revolution	After the revolution
Autocracy	Not limited by anyone or anything	Limited by the State Council and the State Duma
The main segments of the population	Deprived of political freedoms	Have political freedoms, including personal immunity
Working conditions	High degree of exploitation of workers	Increasing wages and reducing the working day to 9-10 hours
Land issue	The land belonged to the landlords, the peasant question was not resolved	Giving peasants land rights. agrarian reform

The results of the revolution of 1905-1907 can be called intermediate. Globally, nothing has changed in the country. The only major change was that the tsar had to pass all laws through the State Duma. Otherwise: the peasant question was not resolved, the working day was reduced slightly, wages were not increased. It turns out that 2.5 years of the revolution were aimed at slightly limiting the power of the monarch, and at asserting the right to create trade unions and hold strikes? The answer is paradoxical - this is exactly what was required of the first Russian revolution. It did not solve problems within the country, but prepared Russia for a future, more powerful revolution.

Trade unions, strikes and the State Duma played a big role in the 1917 revolution. Therefore, these two revolutions must be considered together. The second would not exist without the first. After all, the revolution of 1905 did not solve any serious problems: the tsar remained in power, the ruling classes did not change, the bureaucracy did not disappear, corruption increased, the standard of living fell, and so on. At first sight it seems illogical that under such conditions the revolution calmed down. After all, this is what people opposed. But if one understands that the revolutions in Russia were connected, then the results of the first revolution should eventually become the causes for the second revolution. And so it happened.

45. The first Russian revolution, background, stages, results. Formation of a new political system.

The causes of the revolution were rooted in the economic and socio-political structure of Russia:

The prerequisites for the revolution were formed mainly at the end of the 19th century.

The main one was the contradiction between the development of the country (especially economic) and remnants in the political, social, economic and other spheres - the preservation of autocracy, the estate system, unresolved agrarian and labor issues.

The unsuccessful Russo-Japanese War played a big role.

A serious prerequisite was the nationwide social and political crisis. It was expressed in the struggle of the working people against the autocratic police system, in the creation of left-wing radical political parties and liberal opposition unions, in disputes within the ruling elite and fluctuations in the government's course. The labor movement gained momentum. Strikes covered all the major industrial regions: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Donbass, Baku, the Urals. The workers demanded the convocation of a Constituent Assembly, an end to the Russo-Japanese War, an 8-hour working day, and an improvement in their position.

The peasantry also reached a significant scale. However, during these years, the peasants did not demand the division of landlords' land, the reduction of taxes and duties. The highest rise was noted in 1902, when, due to the famine caused by a crop failure in 1901, unrest began in Ukraine, the Volga region, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the course of the struggle, its character gradually changed. More and more political demands were made. Now the peasants opposed both individual landowners and the government's agrarian policy.

An important evidence of the growing socio-political crisis in the country was the movement of the democratic intelligentsia. She opposed police brutality and demanded political freedoms. Its participation in the social movement was expressed in the creation of legal societies (scientists, doctors, etc.), at whose meetings acute political issues were discussed. Students were the most active. At the beginning of the XX century. a significant part of the radical students went over to an open political struggle, declaring their solidarity with the working class.

Stages of the revolution. The first reason was: The revolution lasted 2.5 years (from January 9, 1905 to June 3, 1907). participants of the "Assembly of Russian Factory Workers" under the leadership of G.A. Gapon. The petition contained the request of the workers to improve their financial situation and political demands - the convocation of the Constituent Assembly on the basis of universal, equal and secret suffrage, the introduction of democratic freedoms. This was the reason for In response, the workers began to take up arms and build barricades.The authorities knew about it in advance, a military garrison was pulled up to the winter palace.

There are the following stages: The first stage. From January 9 to the end of September 1905 2nd October - December 1905 - the highest rise of the revolution, 3rd floor - From January 1906 to June 3, 1907 - the recession and retreat of the revolution.

First step. From January 9 to the end of September 1905, it gradually covered all regions of Russia.

Main events: January-February strikes and demonstrations of protest in response to Bloody Sunday - in this movement, the strike in the textile industry city of Ivanovo-Voznesensk became a major one, and the neighboring cities of Shui and Kokhma joined it. During the strike, a "council of workers' representatives" was elected; he formed a workers' militia, closed taverns, forbade raising prices, and raised wages by 10%. Their social base expanded due to the peasants from the black earth provinces in 1905. -February. In the summer, an “All-Russian Peasant Union” was formed. Cat. In Aug. 1905 his illegal congress was held in Moscow.

The uprising also swept the sailors on the battleship "Prince Potemkin-Tavrichesky", which was part of the Black Sea Fleet. After 11 days of flight, he arrived at the Romanian Constanta and surrendered to the local authorities. spring-summer demonstrations of workers in Moscow, Odessa, Warsaw, Lodz, Riga and Baku.

Under the pressure of the revolution, the government made its first concession in February 1905. Minister Bulygin was instructed to develop a law on the creation of an elected representative institution. According to his project to the State Duma. Elections were held for 3 curiae: landowning, urban, rural, and the workers and the peasantry were excluded. The adoption of the Project was thwarted.

Second phase. October - December 1905 - the highest rise of the revolution. Main events: the general All-Russian October political strike (more than 2 million participants) in Moscow, this strike was led by the Council of Workers' People's Deputies, created following the example of Ivano-Voznesensky. Their requirements: 8th slave. Day, Democratic Freedom, convening a constituent assembly. Under the influence of The strike government issued a Manifesto on October 17 "On the improvement of the state order", in which the tsar promised to introduce certain political freedoms and convene a legislative State Duma on the basis of a new electoral law; and providing the State Duma legislativerights. In contrast to the Duma, the State Council was endowed with legislative rights, becoming the "upper" legislative chamber: the bills adopted by the Duma then had to receive its approval. The introduction of a representative legislative body in the person of the State Duma did not undermine the prerogatives of the emperor's autocratic power. The laws adopted by the Duma and approved by the State Council received force only upon their approval by the emperor. the emperor appointed and dismissed ministers who were responsible only to him, and not to the Duma. He had the exclusive right to conclude treaties with other states. He could dissolve the Duma and call new elections to it. Published April 23, 1906 "Basic State Laws" it was said "that the supreme autocratic power belongs to the Emperor of All Russia."

Autumn 1905 the scope of the peasant riots, cat. Accompanied by the destruction of landowners' estates and the seizure of landowners' lands. Peasant riots covered at that time more than half of the counties of the country. In early November 1905, the II All-Russian Congress of the Peasant Union took place, cat. He announced the transfer of all land to public ownership, and the introduction of universal suffrage and the democratization of local government. On November 3, 1905, under the influence of a broad peasant movement, a manifesto was issued announcing a halving of the redemption payments for allotment land, and the redemption payments were completely abolished from January 1, 1907.

In October - December 1905 performances in the army and navy. The largest of them was the uprising of sailors and soldiers of the Black Sea Fleet under the leadership of Lieutenant P.P. Schmidt in the encirclement. The uprising began on the cruiser Ochakov. It was joined by 12 ships of the Black Sea Fleet. the uprising was defensive in nature. The military command suppressed him. Lieutenant Schmidt, along with other leaders of the uprising, was captured - shot. Ordinary participants in the uprising were sentenced to hard labor and imprisonment. The December strikes and uprisings in Moscow, Kharkov, Chita, Krasnoyarsk and other cities were suppressed by the state.

Third stage. From January 1906 to June 3, 1907 - the recession and retreat of the revolution. It was marked by new forms of social struggle. A major uprising took place in Presnya, a large working-class district, where the rebels held out on the barricades for about a week, until December 19th. With the help of the Semenov regiment, it was suppressed. Armed performances in December 1905 - January 1906 took place in Nizhny Novgorod, Kharkov, Krasnoyarsk, Chita, Vladivostok and in a number of working centers of Ukraine and Georgia. Everywhere, with the help of regular troops, they were easily suppressed. After the events of December 1905, the “retreat of the revolution” begins. First of all, it was expressed in the decline of the workers' strike movement: in 1906 - 1.1 million, and in 1907 - 740 thousand people.

Spring - summer 1906 a new wave of the peasant agrarian movement arose, which acquired an even greater scope than in 1905 d. It spread to 240 counties of the country, but it was a series of local cat riots. Easily suppressed. uprisings in the army and navy, which took on an even more threatening character than in 1905 city, in July 1906 In Kronstadt, Sveaborg and Revel, the uprisings were well prepared and led by the Social Revolutionaries, who developed a plan to surround the capital with a ring of military uprisings and force the government to capitulate. However, the uprisings were crushed by troops loyal to the government. In 1906, the national liberation movement assumed impressive proportions under the leadership of local nationalist parties in Finland, the Baltic states, Poland, the Ukraine, and Transcaucasia.

The reasons for the failure of the rebels: 1. There was no pre-planned plan, the uprising was spontaneous 2. There is no organizing and leading center 3. The uprising arose locally, as a result of which it was easy to suppress them 4. Poor weapons - limited mainly to barricades, defense.

The main result of the revolution was the change in watered. Systems in the camp. During the revolution, a law was passed on the creation and convocation of the State. Dumas, autocracy is preserved. New political forces entered the political arena - polit. Party cat. Took part in the elections in the state. Duma: 1) revolutionary-democratic (social democratic and neo-populist); 2) liberal opposition; 3) conservative

1:Russian Social Democratic Party (RSDLP) took shape at the II Congress (1903), at the same time it split into Bolsheviks(leader V. I. Lenin) and Mensheviks(Yu. O. Martov (Zederbaum). The congress adopted a program of 2 parts: 1st - the overthrow of the autocracy and the establishment of a democratic republic, the introduction of broad local self-government, the granting of the right of self-government to all nations that are part of Russia, the establishment of 8 hours. Work Day. As for the peasantry?, since 1906, in the program, the Bolsheviks put forward the complete confiscation of all landlord, state, appanage, church and monastery lands, as well as their nationalization - transfers to the ownership of the state (the peasants wanted the public property - the people are the owner of the land, and the distribution of plots is carried out by the community). Menshiviks - municipalization earth. Those. confiscated state, landlord, specific, monastic and church lands were placed at the disposal of self-government bodies (municipalities), which then distributed it among the peasants.

2nd part: socialist reorganization of society after the revolution. But in their tactics the Bolsheviks foresaw the possibility of an immediate "growth of the bourgeois-democratic revolution into a socialist one." The Mensheviks believed that in Russia it was necessary to go through a certain period of bourgeois-democratic development of the country in order to begin socialist transformations.

Essers: announced its emergence in 1902, but organizationally took shape at its founding congress at the end of 1905, at which its program and charter were adopted. Socialist-Revolutionary leaders - V. M. Chernov, A. R. Gots. Program: democratic freedoms, the overthrow of the autocracy and the establishment of a democratic republic, the autonomy of regions and communities on a federal basis, the widespread use of federal relations between individual nations, free education. The Social Revolutionaries demanded that all land be withdrawn from private property. But they advocated "socialization", that is, the transfer of land not to the state, but to the "public property". they saw terror as a "last resort." They were engaged in the "Combat Organization of the Socialist-Revolutionaries".

Constitutional Democratic party (cadets), in October 1905. It consisted of teachers of higher and secondary educational institutions, doctors, engineers, lawyers, but, in part, artisans. The leader of the influential party of the liberal bourgeoisie was the historian P. N. Milyukov. The most important goal of the Cadets proclaimed the introduction of a democratic constitution in the country (hence the name of their party). The unlimited monarchy must be replaced by a parliamentary democratic system (the Cadets sidestepped the question of whether it would be a constitutional monarchy or a republic). They advocated the separation of powers - legislative, executive and judicial, for a radical reform of local government and the courts, a democrat. Freedom According to agrarian. Question: partial "alienation" of landlords' land in favor of the peasants "according to a fair assessment" (i.e., at market prices), advocated private land ownership and were resolutely opposed to its socialization

The Union of October 17, 1905 was formed. He chose as his banner the Tsar's Manifesto on October 17, 1905 (hence its name). It was a party of big capital - the top of the commercial and industrial bourgeoisie and landowners-entrepreneurs. It was headed by A. I. Guchkov. The Octobrists represented the state system as a constitutional monarchy, with "people's representation" - the State Duma and the State Council, formed on the basis of qualifying elections - direct in cities and two-stage in rural areas. Democratic freedoms - freedom of speech, unions, religion, the legality of strikes was recognized as a means of protecting the interests of workers, insurance was provided for workers. reduction of taxes from the population, the equalization of peasants in rights with other estates. The agrarian question: they stood for the destruction of the community, the return of cuts to the peasants, allowed the alienation of part of the landowners' land for the reward of its owners at the expense of the treasury.

3. Conservative parties (landlord-monarchist and clerical) were represented "Union of the Russian people"- arose in 1905 - attracted small shopkeepers, philistines into its ranks. The leaders of the "Union" were the official for special assignments under the Ministry of Internal Affairs V. M. Purishkevich, the Kursk landowner N. E. Markov. The slogan of this party is "Orthodoxy, autocracy, nationality." The Black Hundreds advocated the unlimited power of the tsar and the dominant position of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The first elections were held in the state. The Duma In March - April 1906, basically there were 2 main forces in it: the Cadets, and the Trudoviks and the Social Democrats. The main thing was the discussion of the agrarian voros.Pri cat. 2 positions appeared - 1. Cadets create a state. The land fund for allocating land and landless peasantry from appanage, monastic ones when buying them from their owners, and leasing them out, the Trudoviks put forward a demand to take away., The Duma was dissolved, then in February 1907. Elections to the 2nd State. I think, in a cat. Democrats had 43% of the votes. Parties (Social Democrat, Trudoviks). The agrarian question was discussed, and it was dissolved under the pretext (fabricated by the Okhrana) of organizing a conspiracy by the Social Democrats to overthrow the state. The existing building. On June 3, 1905, a law was also promulgated that changed the procedure for elections to the Duma. Its publication was a direct violation of the Manifesto of October 17, 1905. Thus, an act of coup d'état was committed.

In general, in the course of the revolution, the peasants achieved the abolition of redemption payments. In the course of the revolution, the prerequisites were created for carrying out an agrarian reform, which contributed to the further development of bourgeois relations in the countryside. The end of the revolution led to the establishment of temporary internal political stabilization in Russia. There have been changes in politics. System - State. Thought.

Grigoriev and Orlov: The main result was that the supreme power was forced to change the socio-political system of Russia. New state structures were formed in it, testifying to the beginning of the development of parliamentarism. A certain limitation of autocracy was achieved, although the tsar still had the opportunity to make legislative decisions and all the fullness of executive power. The socio-political situation of Russian citizens has changed: democratic freedoms have been introduced, censorship has been abolished, it is allowed to organize trade unions and legal political parties. The bourgeoisie received a wide opportunity to participate in the political life of the country. The material and legal status of workers has improved. In a number of branches of industry, wages have increased and the length of the working day has decreased. The peasants achieved the abolition of redemption payments. In the course of the revolution, the prerequisites were created for carrying out an agrarian reform, which contributed to the further development of bourgeois relations in the countryside. The end of the revolution led to the establishment of temporary internal political stabilization in Russia.

Mironov, Sakharov. Tyukavkin.

		Event value
	"Bloody Sunday"	The beginning of the revolution. On this day, faith in the king was shot.
	Strike of 70 thousand workers in Ivanovo-Voznesensk	The first Soviet of Workers' Deputies in Russia was created, which lasted 65 days
April 1905	III Congress of the RSDLP in London	The congress decided to prepare an armed uprising.
spring-summer 1905	A wave of peasant uprisings swept across the country	The All-Russian Peasant Union was created
	Uprising on the battleship "Potemkin"	For the first time, a large warship went over to the side of the rebels, which indicated that the last support of the autocracy - the army was shaken.
October 1905	All-Russian October political strike	The tsar was forced to make concessions, as the dissatisfaction of the people with the autocracy resulted in the All-Russian strike
	Nicholas II signed the Manifesto of Freedoms	The manifesto was the first step towards parliamentarism, constitutionality, democracy and created the possibility of peaceful, post-reform development
October 1905	Formation of the Constitutional Democratic Party (Kadets)	The adoption of a program that contained provisions in favor of the workers and peasants
		The program of the Octobrists took into account the interests of the working people to a lesser extent, since its core was made up of large industrialists and wealthy landowners.
	Formation of the party "Union of the Russian people"	This party was the largest Black Hundred organization. It was a nationalistic, chauvinistic, pro-fascist organization. (Chauvinism is the propaganda of hatred towards other nations and peoples and the upbringing of the superiority of one's own nation).
late autumn 1905	Revolts of soldiers and sailors in Sevastopol, Kronstadt, Moscow, Kyiv, Kharkov, Tashkent, Irkutsk	The revolutionary movement in the army testified that the last support of the autocracy was no longer as reliable as before.
	Armed uprising in Moscow	High point of the first Russian revolution
December 1905		The beginning of Russian parliamentarism
	Nicholas II solemnly opened the First State Duma - the first Russian parliament
	The II State Duma began its work
	The Second State Duma was dissolved. At the same time, a new electoral law is adopted.	A coup d'état was carried out in the country from above. The political regime established in the country was called the "June 3 Monarchy". It was a regime of police brutality and persecution. Defeat of the First Russian Revolution.

Lecture 47

Russia in 1907-1914 Stolypin agrarian reform

In the summer of 1906, the youngest governor of Russia, Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin, was appointed by Nicholas II as Minister of the Interior and then as Prime Minister.

Agrarian reform - was the main and favorite brainchild of Stolypin.

The goals of the reform.

1. Socio-political. To create in the countryside a strong support for the autocracy in the form of strong peasant farms (wealthy peasant proprietors).

2. Socio-economic. To destroy the community, giving the peasants the opportunity to freely leave it: to determine their own place of residence and the type of their activity.

3. Economic. To ensure the rise of agriculture, to accelerate the industrial development of the country.

4. Resettle the small-land peasants beyond the Urals, contributing to the more intensive development of the eastern regions of Russia.

Essence of reform.

Solve the agrarian question at the expense of the peasants themselves, leaving the landlords' lands intact, at the same time eliminating the basis for possible social conflicts.

The results of the Stolypin agrarian reform

Positive:

Up to 1/4 of the households separated from the community, the stratification of the village increased, the rural elite gave up to half of the market bread,

3 million households moved from European Russia,

4 million dess. communal lands were included in the market turnover,

Consumption of fertilizers increased from 8 to 20 million poods,

The per capita income of the rural population increased from 23 to 33 rubles. in year.

Negative:

From 70 to 90% of the peasants who left the community retained ties with the community,

Returned back to Central Russia 0.5 million migrants,

The peasant household accounted for 2-4 dess., at a rate of 7-8 dess. arable land,

The main agricultural tool is a plow (8 million pieces), 52% of farms did not have plows.

The yield of wheat is 55 pounds. from dec. in Germany - 157 pounds.

OUTPUT.

Thanks to the successful course of the agrarian reform, by 1914 Russia had made great strides in economic and financial development, which allowed it to play a significant role in world politics. However, Russia's entry into the war and the subsequent defeat again threw the country back, increasing its gap from the leading European powers.

Lecture 48

The formation of political parties in Russia in the late XIX - early XX century.

The workers and the growing strike movement with economic demands had a significant impact on the political life of the country. The peasant movement also grew. It was caused by the agrarian crisis, the political lack of rights of the peasantry and the famine of 1901. From 1900 to 1904 there were 670 peasant uprisings.

Opposition moods in the early twentieth century. embraced broad strata of the intelligentsia, the petty and middle bourgeoisie and students. The lack of freedom of public activity in Russia made it difficult to form legal political parties.

The consignment - this is the organization of the most active part of the class, which sets as its task the conduct of a political struggle for the interests of this class and most fully and consistently expresses and defends them. The main thing that interests a political party is state power.

At the beginning of the twentieth century. in Russia there were up to 50 parties, and in 1907 - more than 70. The largest and most influential among them were the following:

Illegal parties

Socialist Revolutionaries (SRs) in 1901 - 1902 - completed the unification of revolutionary organizations into the party. Its number is several thousand (by 1907 - up to 40 thousand). Newspaper "Revolutionary Russia". Party leader, program author, newspaper editor, leading theorist - Viktor Chernov.

The goal of the party is to build a socialist society through revolution, but society is not a state, but a self-governing union of productive associations, whose members receive the same income.

Tactics - a combination of political terror in the "centers" and agrarian terror (violent actions against the property or against the person of "economic oppressors") in the countryside.

RSDLP (Russian Social Democratic Labor Party) formed in 1903. at the 2nd congress.

The main task is to build socialism through social revolution and establish the dictatorship of the proletariat. At the III Congress, the party split into two parts: the Bolsheviks (leader V. Ulyanov (Lenin) and the Mensheviks - (Yu. Martov)). Martov opposed the Leninist idea of the dictatorship of the proletariat, believing that the proletariat would not be able to play a leading role, since capitalism in Russia was in its initial stage of development. He believed that "the bourgeoisie will still take its rightful place - the leader of the bourgeois revolution." Martov shared Herzen's fears that "communism could become a Russian autocracy in reverse." At the party conference in Prague (1912), the final split took shape organizationally.

Legal parties

Union of the Russian people founded in 1905. The printed organ is the Russian Banner. (100 thousand people) Leaders - A. Dubrovin and V. Purishkevich.

Main Ideas Keywords: orthodoxy, autocracy, Russian nationality.

Main trends : acute nationalism, hatred of all "foreigners" and the intelligentsia. The bulk of the party members: petty shopkeepers, janitors, cab drivers, lumpen (people of the "bottom"). They created fighting squads - "Black Hundreds" for pogroms and murders of progressive public figures and revolutionaries. It was the first Russian version of fascism.

Constitutional Democratic Party of People's Freedom (Kadets). Created in 1905 (100 thousand people). Edition "Speech". Leader P. Milyukov. The Bourgeois Reform Party: An Evolutionary Path to Revolution.

Union of October 17 (Octobrists). 30 thousand people Edition "Word". Leaders: Guchkov and Rodzianko. Party of the big bourgeoisie. With the help of reforms, come to a constitutional monarchy coexisting with the Duma.

Output: The creation of socialist and bourgeois parties is an indicator of a significant shift in the socio-political development of the country. The active part of the population realized the need to fight for the democratic rights of freedom.

Lecture 49

Russia at the turnXIX- XXcenturies (90sXIXcentury - 1905). Russo-Japanese War

Causes and nature of the war

The Russo-Japanese War was one of the first wars of the era of imperialism. Its main reason is the clash of interests between Japanese and Russian imperialism. The ruling classes of Japan have been plundering China for many years. They wanted to capture Korea, Manchuria, to gain a foothold in Asia. Tsarism also pursued an aggressive policy in the Far East; the Russian bourgeoisie needed new markets.

Exacerbation of contradictions between Japan, Russia, England and the United States due to influence in China.

The construction of the Siberian railway by Russia (Chelyabinsk - Vladivostok) - 7 thousand km in 1891-1901, which caused discontent in Japan.

Russia's attempt to reduce the aggressive plans of Japan as a result of the Sino-Japanese war of 1894-1895. Russia demanded in an ultimatum (supported by Germany and France) that Japan give up the Liaodong Peninsula.

The conclusion of a defensive alliance between Russia and China against Japan, according to which:

a) the construction of the CER Chita - Vladivostok (through China) began

b) China leased the Liaodong Peninsula with Port Arthur to Russia for 25 years

The interest of European countries and the United States in the clash between Japan and Russia

II . Preparing Japan for War

The conclusion of the Anglo-Japanese treaty against Russia

Japan building a modern navy in England

Britain and the United States helped Japan with strategic raw materials, weapons, and loans. France took a neutral position and did not support its ally - Russia.

Carrying out trial mobilizations, maneuvers, creating arsenals, training landings. The entire winter of 1903, the Japanese fleet spent at sea, preparing for naval battles.

Ideological indoctrination of the Japanese population. Imposing the idea of the need to capture the "northern territories due to the overpopulation of the Japanese islands."

Carrying out extensive intelligence and espionage activities in the future theater of operations.

III . Russia's unpreparedness for war

Diplomatic isolation of Russia

In terms of the total number of troops, Russia surpassed Japan (1 million people against 150 thousand army), but the reserves from Russia were not brought up, and at the beginning of the war she put up only 96 thousand people.

Difficulties in the transfer of troops and equipment for 10 thousand km (Near Lake Baikal, the Siberian railway was not completed. Cargo was transported by horse-drawn transport). Only 2 divisions could be transferred from central Russia to the Far East per month.

The navy was dispersed, there were half the number of cruisers, and three times less destroyers than Japan.

Technical backwardness in armaments, sluggishness of the bureaucratic apparatus, embezzlement and theft of officials, underestimation of the enemy's forces, unpopularity of the war among the masses.

I V . The beginning and course of hostilities

Using the superiority of forces and the surprise factor on the night of January 27, 1904, without declaring war, 10 Japanese destroyers suddenly attacked the Russian squadron on the outer road of Port Arthur and disabled 2 battleships and 1 cruiser. On the morning of January 27, 6 Japanese cruisers and 8 destroyers attacked the Varyag cruiser and the Koreets gunboat in the Korean port of Chemulpo. In an unequal 45-minute battle, Russian sailors showed miracles of courage: on both ships there were four times fewer guns than the Japanese, but the Japanese squadron was seriously damaged, and one cruiser was sunk. The damage prevented the Varyag from breaking through to Port Arthur, Command both ships were transferred to French and American ships, after which the “Korean” was blown up, and the “Varangian” was flooded so that they would not get to the enemy.

The commander of the Pacific Fleet, Vice-Admiral S.O. Makarov, began intensive preparations for active operations at sea. On March 31, he led his squadron to the outer roadstead in order to engage the enemy and lure him under fire from coastal batteries. However, at the very beginning of the battle, the flagship Petropavlovsk hit a mine and sank within 2 minutes. Most of the crew died: S.O. Makarov, his entire staff, as well as the artist V.V. Vereshchagin, who was on the ship. After that, the fleet went on the defensive, as the commander-in-chief, mediocre Admiral E.I. sea.

On land, hostilities were also unsuccessful. In February-April 1904, Japanese landings landed in Korea and on the Liaodong Peninsula. The commander of the land army, General A.N. Kuropatkin, did not organize a proper rebuff, as a result, the Japanese army cut off Port Arthur from the main forces in March 1904.

In August 1904, the first assault on Port Arthur took place. 5 days of fighting showed that the fortress could not be taken by storm, the Japanese army lost a third of its composition and was forced to move on to a long siege. At the same time, the stubborn resistance of the Russian soldiers thwarted the Japanese offensive near Liaoyang. However, Kuropatkin did not use this success and ordered a retreat, which made it easier for the enemy to launch a new attack on Port Arthur.

The second assault on Port Arthur in September 1904 was again repulsed. The defenders of the fortress, led by the talented general R.I. Kondratenko, fettered almost half of the Japanese forces. The counteroffensive of the Russian troops on the Shahe River at the end of September did not bring success. The third assault in October, the fourth - in November of Port Arthur did not bring victory to the Japanese, although the defenders of the fortress were 3 times smaller than the enemy forces. The constant bombardment destroyed most of the fortifications. On December 3, 1904, General Kondratenko died. Contrary to the decision of the Defense Council, on December 20, 1904, General Stessel surrendered Port Arthur. The fortress withstood 6 assaults for 157 days. 50 thousand Russian soldiers fettered about 200 thousand enemy troops.

In 1905, Russia suffered two more major defeats: land (in February near Mukden) and sea (in May near the Tsushima Islands). Further conduct of the war was senseless. The Russian army was losing its combat capability, hatred of mediocre generals grew among the soldiers and officers, and revolutionary ferment intensified. In Japan, the situation was also difficult. Lack of raw materials, finance. The United States offered Russia and Japan mediation for negotiations.

Under the peace treaty, Russia recognized Korea as a Japanese sphere of influence.

Russia transferred to Japan the right to lease part of the Liaodong Peninsula with Port Arthur and the southern part of Sakhalin Island

The ridge of the Kuril Islands passed to Japan

Russia made concessions to Japan in fisheries

V I . Results of the Russo-Japanese War

Russia spent 3 billion rubles on the war
Killed, wounded, captured about 400 thousand people (Japan - 135 thousand killed, 554 thousand wounded and sick)
The death of the Pacific Fleet
A blow to Russia's international prestige
The defeat in the war hastened the beginning of the revolution of 1905-1907.

OUTPUT:

The adventure of the tsarist government in the Far East revealed the rottenness of the autocracy, its weakening. The autocracy came to a shameful defeat.

Lecture 50

Russia in the First World War: the main military operations,

domestic political development, economics

The causes of World War I were the transition of the leading European countries to imperialism, the formation of monopolies, the pursuit of monopoly high profits, which pushed the capitalist states to fight for the redivision of the world, for new sources of raw materials and new markets.

On June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo, the Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were killed by a member of the national-patriotic organization "Young Bosnia" G. Princip. The monarchical circles of Austria-Hungary and Germany decided to use the assassination of the Archduke as a direct pretext for a world war.

This war was the result of inter-imperialist contradictions between two military-political blocs that formed in Europe in the late 19th - early 20th centuries:

1882 - Tripartite Alliance, which united Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.

1907 - Entente uniting Russia, England and France.

Each of these countries had its own predatory goals, except for Serbia and Belgium, which defended the territories of their states.

It should be noted that wars are different - large and small, just and predatory, liberation and colonial, people's and anti-people's, cold and hot, long and fleeting. There are also absurd ones. It was precisely such a bloody and brutal massacre that claimed millions of lives that began on August 1, 1914, with the declaration of war on little Serbia by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. All participants expected to carry out their military plans within 3-4 months. However, already from the first days of the war, the calculations of the leading military strategists on the lightning-fast nature of the war collapsed.