Faith & Fate
DAWN OF THE CENTURY 1900 -1910
LESSON 4 THE EFFECT OF THE 1905 RUSSIAN REVOLUTION ON THE JEWS
GOALS OF THE LESSON
- A. To understand the causes of the 1905 Russian Revolution
- B. To examine what transpired during and as a result of the 1905 Russian Revolution
- C. To analyze how this revolution affected the Jews in Russia
View Video 1:46 min
SYNOPSIS OF FILM CLIP
In 1900, the majority of world Jewry lived in Russia. The masses of Russians, including almost all of the Jews, lived in deplorable conditions and abject poverty. In 1905, when Russia decisively and unexpectedly lost the war with Japan, the Czar’s power was weakened. The people staged an uprising, demonstrating for improved conditions for workers and peasants. When the Czar’s army reacted by shooting the demonstrators, this sparked a massive revolution and a prolonged physical conflict between the army and the people, led by anarchists, socialists and communists. The Czar’s troops eventually prevailed. The Czar set up a parliament Called the Duma as a concession to the people, but this was very short-lived. Thus, no tangible benefit resulted from this revolution.
SUGGESTED QUESTIONS
- 1. Which external and internal factors contributed to the Russian Revolution of 1905?
- 2. What transpired during the revolution? How did it begin? How did it end? What new political body was created as a result of this revolution? What was the lasting impact of this revolution?
- 3. How were the Jews affected by this revolution?
MAIN TALKING POINTS OF THE LESSON
- A. When Russia unexpectedly lost the war to Japan in 1905, it was a perceived as Russian weakness. Since at the time the workers and peasants were living in wretched poverty and suffered great hardships, they used this weakness to demonstrate against the Czar, who lived in great opulence.
- B. What began as peaceful demonstrations in St. Petersburg (outside the Czar’s palace) to improve the lot of the workers and peasants turned violent when the Czar’s troops fired on the demonstrators. Mass riots broke out and eventually turned to an armed conflict between the people (directed by the leaders of the anarchists, socialists and communists) and the Czar’s army. After about a year, the Czar’s army prevailed and quashed the revolution. As a concession to the people, the Czar set up a people’s parliament, called the Duma. But it was suspended a year later. Thus, no concrete benefit to the people resulted as a result of this revolution.
- C. Many of the leaders of the people were Jews. They learned the lessons of this failed revolution and used these lessons to prepare for the next (successful) revolution in 1917. Many Jews, as a result of the revolution (and other factors) concluded that Russian was no longer the motherland, and decided to leave forever. Most left for the United States in a large emigration shortly after this revolution.