How Did Economic And Social Issues Affect Russia In The 20th Century

Russia in the early 20th century had significant issues due to political unrest. Social and economic grievances plagued Russia and impacted the image of the Tsar as an effective ruler. Critical social issues affected Russia due to the unequal feudal structure. Wealth was distributed at this time unequally. This wealth inequality created a strict social class structure, further dividing the nation. Additionally, economic issues impacted Russia because of the country’s rapid industrialisation, which involved increased mineral production, labour-intensive jobs, and inflation. Significant events include the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Russo-Japanese war, and Bloody Sunday, all of which led to the 1905 revolution and the development of the opposition

The events of the Russo-Japanese war serve as an example (1904-1905). This war took place in Korea over Manchuria, as both countries desired control of this land. This war ended in a humiliating loss for Russia, causing national outrage. Another example of significant event was Bloody Sunday which occurred on January 22, 1905, when workers protested in St. Petersburg for better wages and conditions. Tsarist police attacked them, and the day became known as Bloody Sunday because more than 100 people died. These events impacted the Tsar's reputation as they showed the Russian people, he was a poor leader who led them to a war they lost and was willing to murder his people to sustain his power. These events led to the 1905 revolution. This revolution forced the autocratic rule to establish a duma. A duma was an elected semi-representative body in Russia. However, this did not work because tsar Nicholas would go on to establish the October manifesto, a set of regulations that permitted tsar Nicholas to sustain his autocratic rule. In response to Tsar rule, various opposition parties were formed, the most important being the Bolsheviks or the social revolutionaries led by Vladimir Lenni Some wanted him to go white others wanted to limit his

He had no desire to change the social structure that favoured him and the upper class while creating a system of wealth and social inequality, he had no understanding of the Russian people's needs he once stated “What will happen to me and the rest of Russia? I'm not ready to be a Tsar ". The tsar's poor leadership was responsible for his people's extreme poverty and poor quality of life. Unlike the elite, peasants in Russia were paid low wages, worked in dangerous conditions, and worked long hours. Source A compared to real life is entirely accurate, titled Russia's Social Hierarchy, it is a cartoon created by exiled Union of Russian Socialists members and published in Switzerland in 1900. It portrays Russia's Social hierarchy during this period and the roles the different levels played. Source A's intended audience is Russia's peasants, its purpose is to both criticise the tsar and Russia's social hierarchy but as well as raise awareness of inequality and the idea of socialism. Source A is valuable as it demonstrates an accurate image of Russia's social structure and similar to real life it presents the image of the tsar sitting above everyone. In the cartoon, he is presented as looking straight ahead, symbolising how he ignores his country’s problems in real life. Though highly valued, it has limitations as it is visual propaganda produced by members of a political