Peasants and Workers in the 1905 Revolution

Serf - the Russian word for slave

The Soviet - Russian word for council 

-The crisis that followed bloody Sunday featured great waves of protest in the countryside and un the industrial cities....

• Peasants in the countryside rioted against their landlords, some even burned down their houses and sometimes killing landlords and their families 
• Peasants created communes by taking the land that their parents and grandparents worked as serfs 
  • The police had a hard time controlling the peasants with all these attacks going on 

• Unlike the peasants, the Industrial workers didn't use violence, instead, they used strikes to achieve their aims 
• After bloody Sunday, many of the workers went on strikes. 400,000 workers went on strike in January 1905 alone 
• A general strike was organized from 20th September to 2 October. workers from the most important industries such as the railway took part 
  • Without the railway to transport resources and people, Russia was not able to function 
• The general strike linked workers with the liberal middle classes, who wanted political reform 
  • The protests united Russians against oppression 

The general strike became a national strike against the government 

• The St Petersburg soviet was a council of workers set up in October 1905 to help organize the general strike
• other soviets were set up in various other cities to also help organise major strikes.
• The st Petersburg soviet only lasted from October to early December because the government shut it down 
• The st Petersburg soviet was formed after the general strike had already begun, nevertheless, it was a very important development.