One of the most tragic events in Russian history is Bloody Sunday. In short, on January 9, 1905, a demonstration was shot down, in which about 140 thousand representatives of the working class became participants. It happened in St. Petersburg during the reign of Nicholas II, who after that the people began to call Bloody. Many historians believe that this incident was the decisive impetus for the start of the 1905 revolution.
Bloody Sunday: A Brief Background
At the end of 1904, political ferment began in the country, it happened after the defeat that the state suffered in the infamous Russo-Japanese War. What events led to the mass execution of workers - a tragedy that went down in history as Bloody Sunday? In short, it all started with the organization of the “Assembly of Russian Factory Workers.”
Interestingly, the Police Department actively contributed to the creation of this organization. This was due to the fact that the authorities were concerned about the growing number ofdissatisfied in the work environment. The main purpose of the "Assembly" was originally to protect the representatives of the working class from the influence of revolutionary propaganda, the organization of mutual assistance, education. However, the "Assembly" was not properly controlled by the authorities, resulting in a sharp change in the course of the organization. This was largely due to the personality of the person who led it.
Georgy Gapon
What does Georgy Gapon have to do with the tragic day remembered as Bloody Sunday? In short, it was this clergyman who became the inspirer and organizer of the demonstration, the outcome of which turned out to be so sad. Gapon took over as head of the "Assembly" at the end of 1903, it soon found itself in his unlimited power. The ambitious clergyman dreamed that his name would go down in history, proclaiming himself the true leader of the working class.
The leader of the "Assembly" founded a secret committee, whose members read forbidden literature, studied the history of revolutionary movements, developed plans to fight for the interests of the working class. Gapon's associates were the spouses of Karelina, who enjoyed great prestige among the workers.
The "Program of the Five", including the specific political and economic demands of the members of the secret committee, was drawn up in March 1904. It was she who served as the source from which the demands were taken, which the demonstrators planned to present to the tsar on Bloody Sunday 1905. In short, they failed to achieve their goal. ATThat day, the petition did not fall into the hands of Nicholas II.
Incident at the Putilov factory
What event caused the workers to decide on a mass demonstration on the day known as Bloody Sunday? You can briefly talk about this as follows: the impetus was the dismissal of several people who worked at the Putilov factory. All of them were members of the Assembly. Rumors spread that people were fired precisely because of their affiliation with the organization.
Unrest at the Putilov factory spread to other enterprises that were operating in St. Petersburg at that time. Mass strikes began, leaflets began to circulate with economic and political demands on the government. Inspired by Gapon, he decided to submit a petition personally to the autocrat Nicholas II. When the text of the appeal to the tsar was read to the participants of the "Assembly", whose number already exceeded 20 thousand, people expressed their desire to participate in the rally.
The date of the procession, which went down in history as Bloody Sunday, was also determined - January 9, 1905. Briefly about the main events are described below.
No bloodshed planned
The authorities became aware in advance of the upcoming demonstration, in which about 140 thousand people were supposed to take part. On January 6, Emperor Nicholas left with his family for Tsarskoye Selo. The Minister of the Interior called an emergency meeting the day before the event, which was remembered as Bloody Sunday 1905. Briefly, during the meeting, it was decidedthe decision not to allow the participants of the rally to go not only to the Palace Square, but also to the city center.
It is worth mentioning that the bloodshed was not originally planned. The authorities had no doubt that the sight of armed soldiers would disperse the crowd, but these expectations were not met.
Mass killings
The procession that moved towards the Winter Palace consisted of men, women and children who did not have weapons with them. Many participants in the procession were holding portraits of Nicholas II, banners. At the Nevsky Gate, the demonstration was attacked by cavalry, then shooting began, five shots were fired.
The next shots were fired at the Trinity Bridge from the Petersburg and Vyborg sides. Several volleys were also fired at the Winter Palace, when the demonstrators reached the Alexander Garden. The scenes of the events soon became littered with the bodies of the wounded and the dead. Local clashes continued until late in the evening, only by 11 p.m. did the authorities manage to disperse the demonstrators.
Consequences
The report, which was presented to Nicholas II, significantly underestimated the number of people injured on January 9th. Bloody Sunday, the summary of which is retold in this article, claimed the lives of 130 people, another 299 were injured, according to this report. In reality, the number of dead and wounded exceeded four thousand people, the exact figure remained a mystery.
Georgy Gapon managed to escape abroad, but in March 1906 the clergyman was killed by the Social Revolutionaries. Mayor Fullon, who was directly involved in the events of Bloody Sunday, was dismissed on January 10, 1905. The Minister of the Interior Svyatopolk-Mirsky also lost his post. The meeting of the emperor with the working delegation took place on January 20, during which Nicholas II expressed regret that so many people had died. However, he nevertheless stated that the demonstrators had committed a crime and condemned the mass march.
Conclusion
After the disappearance of Gapon, the mass strike stopped, the unrest subsided. However, this turned out to be only the calm before the storm, soon the state was expecting new political upheavals and victims.
