Was the 1905 Revolution a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the events of either February or October 1917?

The Revolution of 1905 had many of the same features as the events of 1917 however it cannot be said that 1905 was a ‘dress rehearsal’ as the protocol of the 1917 revolution was meticulously different to that of 1905. When comparing the revolutions it is thoroughly important to regard all similarities and differences when cross-examining 1905 with 1917. In many respects the events that assembled the first revolution can be used as a prototype on how the second and third revolution materialised. The importance of politics, the remodeled working class, the established regime and the significance of the soldiers all are essential components in considering why the events of 1917 were not prepared in 1905. Although 1905 did, undoubtedly paved the way for the revolutionary era of 1917, no-one could have predicted the outcome of the February Revolution nor the conclusion of October.

In examining the comparison of the 1905 events with the similar situation in 1917, it is vital to look at the backdrop circumstances in order to directly compare the revolutions. The combination of the social disruptions generated by the Russo-Japanese War effort caused unrest and several uprisings to take place in the period 1904-1905. In 1905 Russian armies suffered repeated defeats in the Russo-Japanese war leading to low morale, food shortages and bread prices soaring throughout Russia. Discontentment lay the foundation to political ferment amongst the Proletariat. The mobilisation of the working class accompanied the war effort, revitalizing the threat of a strike movement such like the one in 1905. The circumstances that Russian society found themselves in, in 1905 can be directly compared to the situation of 1914-1917.

Just as the Russo-Japanese...

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.../New_Postings/1905.htm) (9 November 2011)

The Albert and Vera Weisbord Archives (http://www.weisbord.org/conquest38.htm) (11 Novemeber 2011)

Primary Sources

The October Manifesto‘ in A. Ascher, The revolution of 1905: authority restored (Stanford, 1992), pp 228–229.

̳General Ruzskii on the events of March 2‘ in R. P. Browder and A. F. Kerensky (eds), The Russian Provisional Government, 1917: Documents (3 vols, Stanford, 1961), pp 102–104.

̳Act of abdication of Tsar Nicolas II‘ in Chamberlin, The Russian Revolution, vol. 1, pp 430– 431.

̳The fall of the monarchy‘ [map] in M. Gilbert (ed.), The Routledge atlas of Russian history, 4th ed. (London, 2007), map 86.

G. Gapon, ̳Address to the Tsar, January 1905‘ in Ascher, The Revolution of 1905: Russia in disarray (Stanford, 1988), pp 87–89.

Pravda reports on February Revolution ( ̳The course of events‘, etc.)