1905 Revolution

How significant were the effects of 1905 Revolution on Russian government and society at the time?
The 1905 Revolution was significant to Russian government in long run but not in short run. After investigating into the contemporary sources which focus on different people’s opinions towards the Revolution and changes brought about by it, I found that there were general agreements on the following views. Firstly, the 1905 Revolution did brought changes to the practice of Russian government; however, as it did not bring an end to the autocratic regime in Russia, the short term the effects of the Revolution was not significant. In long run, the Revolution significantly aroused people’s anger towards the Tsar, and we can even argue that it provoked the 1917 Revolution, and arguably, it changed the whole system of government and political structure of Russia, so the long term significance of the revolution to Russian government was more remarkable. Secondly, we could doubt the effects of the Revolution on Russian society. It brought freedom to the people through the October Manifesto, but it is questionable whether it changed the Russians’ life significantly.  
Politically, the short term significance of the effects of the 1905 Revolution was not remarkable. The 1905 Revolution brought changes to the political structure of Russia; however, its significance was usually over exaggerated by historians. The Revolution brought about was the first broad based challenge to Tsardom. It exposed people’s hidden anger to the Tsar and organized into an armed revolution which aimed to overthrown the Tsarist government. Alan Wood suggested that the events of the 1905 Revolution such as the Bloody Sunday was the first revolutionary disturbance which forced the Tsar   to authorize the holding of elections for a consultative and legislative national assembly. Peter Waldron shared similar views and suggested that the Revolution was significant in reminding the Tsar the existence of...