Political opposition
Challenges facing the Tsarist regime (Webb)
Illegal Political Parties and Press: As Political Parties were illegal until 1905, all politically opposing groups promoted their cause illegally.
Upper-Middle Class Liberals supported the Union of Liberation Party. This party promoted democracy and wanted Russia to develop a parliament and move away from monarchy.
Socialist intellectuals supported the Social Democratic Party, which promoted socialism through revolution, particularly through illegal union groups.
The Socialist Revolutionary Party was also prominent, fighting for land redistribution for peasants.
Rigid and inefficient hierarchy
The People's Will was an extremist revolutionary groups which assassinated Alexander II. This did not inspire the mass change that the group hoped. However, it was a statement of the people's discontent.
Industrialised their country much later than britain
Execution of Alexander II
Differences in power with around 80% of the population consisting of peasants.
Peasants were discontent in the countryside as the quality of the land was poor and little. Rebellion began when peasants began to fight for ownership of their own land.
Discontent in the cities occurred as urban workers lived in overpopulated areas with unsanitary conditions. As urban workers were more literate than country peasants, liberal literature and press began to provoke uprising.
Difficulty of ruling such a large country meant that to prevent rebellions across several races, religions and nationalities often resulted in violence, which further incited rebelion
Inability to adapt with the rest of the major powers at the time led to calls for westernisation, and attempted military coups.
Behind in development compared to areas such as Western Europe.
Assassination attempts on the Tsar by Narodynaya Volya.
Autocratic rule meant that many classes below the monarchy were dissatisfied with their power and rights.
Marxist revolutionaries started to become prominent at the turn of the century.
Poorly paid lower class