Revolution 1905 Aims Achieved

To what extent were the aims of the 1905 Revolution achieved?
To a certain extent the aims of the 1905 Revolution were achieved. Every class had grievances with the government and their main aims were political reforms, land reforms, civil liberties and industrial reforms. The October Manifesto partially addressed most of the factors concerned, yet a year after the mandate, the Fundamental Laws were passed and it made the October Manifesto redundant in many aspects.
The general populace wanted a constitution and a parliament instead of an autocrat monarchy. Tsar Nicholas II had few qualities of a ruler and leader, and was politically naïve; he believed that great change would undermine his autocratic power. However his stubborn resistance to change had caused the people to suffer combined with failed crops, inflation and economic depression. A constitution would lessen the power of the Tsar and change the rule from an autocratic power to a constitutional monarchy. 77% of the population were peasants alternatively the 1% of nobility lived lives of splendour through the labours of the peasants. This led to peasants and other classes a want for the Russian class system to change.
The peasants, proletariat and bourgeoisie wanted a duma to represent, express and fight for their beliefs and rights. The duma was to be a national assembly on the basis of universal male suffrage and held the power to make laws. While the introduction of the October Manifesto on the 17th of October 1905 announced the Tsar’s introduction of the duma, Nicholas was unwilling to give up all his power. The Fundamental Laws issued in April 1906, stated he could dismiss the duma, withhold power with his ministers and make new laws when Russia was in the State of Emergency. Thus with this power, after the first duma meeting, angered by the discussions he dismissed them. While the aim for political reform was achieved, due to the Tsar’s reluctance to give up autocracy, it was consequently revoked.
Land reforms were a highly sought issue for the peasants. Russian industry plummeted into a crisis during 1900 due to the European finances contracting, and indirectly the economy experienced inflation. There was also an agrarian predicament with rural overpopulation of an annual excess of 15-18 births over deaths. At the same time emancipation of the serfs in 1861 caused many of the proletariat and peasants to be in debt. As a result, they still had to work long hours but the product was used to pay the government back for the land, many starved with the lack of nutrition.
A resolution for their revolts came in November 1905, when there was an issue of law announcing the cancelation of redemption payments from 1907 onwards. The peasants would be able to have ownership of the land they have been repaying since the 1960s, yet it would not be owned individually. It was an “allotment land” meaning they would have to share it communally, this aroused dissatisfaction and anger. Nevertheless, the aim was accomplished even if the people were not satisfied with the resolution.
Promoted by universities and intellectuals, freedom of speech was another aim of the Russian Revolution in 1905. They believed in liberty of all kinds, especially the spreading and seeking of knowledge. This was mainly influenced by Nikolai Ogarev's phrase 'apostles of knowledge’ to repay the privilege of learning by serving the people. The October Manifesto made freedom of speech and publishing available satisfying many of the intellectuals and students.
Another civil liberty that the revolution aimed to achieve was the freedom of association of a multi-party system. The government also revoked its "protective" labour laws that prohibited organization of trade unions and strikes in the October Manifesto and made political parties legal.
There was constant conflict between the 23 different nationalities and ethnic groups and the Russian rule. Freedom of religion and prevention on government's policies in dealing with all national and religious minorities was never achieved. There was a growing impatience with minority group’s inferior status and resentment against "Russification".
While the government policy of wanting to speed up industrialisation created new social groups in hopes of stabilising the economy, this created additional problems. The proletariat class was created, yet due to an underdeveloped bourgeoisie and an over populated peasantry, problems such as working conditions and safety.
The bourgeoisie wanting to gain the most profit exploited the proletariats mainly with long working hours and low rates of pay, “the average worker's 16 rubles per month could not buy the equal of what the French worker's 110 francs would buy for him". The manifesto did not address issues of poverty, low wages or poor working conditions. Further protests to achieve these aims were brutally vanquished by the returned troops from Manchuria and threats and hangings of terrorists and revolutionary leaders.
In conclusion, while the aims of the Russian Revolution in 1905 seems to have been achieved. Through manipulation and later laws, in fact, only some were briefly arranged to satisfy and calm the growing anger and frustration of the populace towards the Tsar and his beliefs.