Explain Why Political Opposition to the Regime of Tsar Nicholas Ii Grew in Russia in the Years Before 1905.

Leading up to the Russian Revolution in 1905, there were a series of decisions and accidents, signs of discontentment amongst the poor and also a tension increase between Russia and Japan. It was ultimately these problems which lead to the Revolution and the end of Tsar Nicolas II’s regime. But why did this political opposition grow towards Nicolas II? In 1985, Russia had persuaded Japan to give up Port Arthur and the Liaotung Peninsula to her. There were agreements that followed with China which helped furthermore influence these Russian decisions. However the Japanese opposed this expansion. Although the Japanese had countered the Russian proposals, a peaceful solution was still certainly possible. Although without the restraining influence of Witte, the Russian ministers advised the Tsar to ignore it. One of the Russian ministers even said that `a short victorious war would stem the tide of revolution`, it was this type of attitude which would lead the Tsar to the end of his reign as the Japanese were angered by this. The Japanese’s requests for negotiations were ignored. This then prompted the Japanese to attack and in February 1904 they attacked the Russian fleet stationed in Port Arthur while the Japanese army cleared the Korean peninsula of Russian troops. This War with Japan was largely of Russia’s own making and it was here in 1904 where Nicolas II faced his first major test in foreign affairs to see if he was really strong enough to be Tsar. Russia’s main aims in the War were to pursue an expansionist policy in the Far East and also the Tsar wanted to distract from their domestic troubles by rallying into a patriotic struggle. However the War proved to be disastrous for Russia’s military as they had seriously underestimated the strength of the Japanese. This conflict led to disaster as Russia was defeated. It also showed up the problems with Russia’s government and the Tsar, as the military commanders had not prepared effectively enough. It was their unimaginative strategy which allowed the Japanese to outmanoeuvre the Russian forces. The fact that the Trans Siberian Railway had not been completed was to prove of little value as materials could only be transported at a slow rate. Russia’s dismal performance allowed political opposition to grow as tensions built which lead to an open challenge for Tsardom in 1905. Following the War strikes took place and this lead to huge up rest, terrorism followed and the country was in a horrific state. Throughout the years leading up to the revolution there were two main groups which threatened to oppose Tsardom; the revolutionaries and reformers. The revolutionaries were made up of the majority of peasants who believed that Russia could only progress without Tsardom, whilst the Reformers were more focused upon Russia developing as a constitutional monarchy where the Tsar’s role would be restricted by a democratically elected government. It was only in 1905 in the October Manifesto that these parties finally had the opportunity to stake a claim as other political parties had been illegal before then. In conclusion I believe that political opposition grew as the Russian people had begun to see how weak the Tsar was and that they felt the country deserved better. Since Nicolas II had been in power the economy had worsened and people had suffered more as a result. It only needed the mistake of Russia going to war with Japan for the Tsar to finally be overthrown in 1905.