Chapter 22
Russia, 1894-1914
Further reading
There are several clear and concise studies of the last years of tsarism. Alan Wood, The
Origins of the Russian Revolution 1861–1917 (London, Routledge, 2003) is helpful partly
because it begins the story earlier than many works. M. Lynch, Reaction and Revolutions:
Russia 1894–1924 (London, Hodder, 2007) chooses a helpful period and covers it
systematically, with documentary excerpts. J.F. Hutchinson, Late Imperial Russia, 1890–
1917 (London, Longman, 1999) retains the focus on the Tsarist period, while S. Philips,
Lenin and the Russian Revolution (London, Heinemann, 2000) follows the biographical
theme through the revolutions. There are many more detailed academic texts. H. Rogger,
Russia in the Age of Modernisation and Revolution (London, Longman, 1990) is thoroughly
detailed, W.E. Mosse, An Economic History of Russia 1856–1914 (London, I.B. Tauris,
1996) is helpful on the reforms of Witte and Stolypin, and R.B. McKean, The Russian
Constitutional Monarchy (London, Historical Association, 1977) is a pamphlet focusing on
the importance of the Dumas. H. Seton-Watson, The Russian Empire 1801–1917 (Oxford
University Press, 1988) is a detailed and immense text, while J.N. Westwood, Endurance and
Endeavour: Russian History 1812–2001 (Oxford University Press, 2002) provides a more
manageable study.
Important recent works include O. Figes, A People’s Tragedy: the Russian Revolution 1891–
1924 (London, Penguin, 1998), R. Pipes, The Russian Revolution 1899–1919 (London,
Fontana, 1992) which has been superseded by the same author’s A Concise History of the
Russian Revolution (Vintage, 1996), and R. Service, J. Breuilly and R. Porter, The Russian
Revolution, 1900–27 (London, Macmillan, 1999). Peter Waldron addresses the reasons for
the failure of Stolypin’s reforms in ‘Why did the Imperial Russian Government fail to learn
the lessons of the 1905 revolution?’ in New Perspective, vol. 6, no. 3, March 2001. Much
briefer and very readable is M. Ferro’s biography of Nicholas II (London, Penguin, 1992).
Documentary collections include M. McCauley, Octobrists to Bolsheviks: Imperial Russia
1905–1917 (London, Arnold, 1984), but finding reasonably extensive translated collections
on the period before the First World War is problematic; the best is G. Vernadsky (ed.) A
Sourcebook for Russian History from Early Times to 1917, vol. 3 (New Haven, CT, Yale
University Press, 1972). M. Lynch’s book (listed above) contains some source material.
Web Sites
There are few web sites which have primary sources translated into English, and those
available are mainly based in the United States. There is a European guide to web sites at
http://intute.ac.uk and a British site, based at Durham University which can be accessed via
the following links: Internet Modern History Sourcebook – Russian Revolution – History of
Russia and the Russia and the former USSR – Top five links – Index of World History –
Russia – Sources, Historical Documents, Historical Text Archive – Chronology.
Domestic Policy and Events
Historical Documents, Russian History 1801–1991:

Sergei Witte and Russian Economic Policy, 1900

The Manifesto of 17 October 1905 (Bloody Sunday)

The Fundamental Law, 1 April 1906

Stolypin’s Agrarian Reforms, 1906

Excerpts from the programmes of the main political parties in 1905
All these can be be found via the Internet Modern History Sourcebook, under Russian
Revolution, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook39.html
See also an article by Michael Melancon, ‘The Lena goldfields and the Massacre of April 4,
1912’ via Internet Modern History Sourcebook – Russian Revolution – History of Russia and
the former USSR – Top five links – Index of World History – Russia – Chronology – the
Imperial Period
Foreign Policy

Prince Ukthomskii, Russia’s Imperial Destiny, 1891

Commander Vladimir Semonoff, Coaling at Sea
Internet Modern History Sourcebook,
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook39.html see The Tsarist State
See the WWI Archive in Eudocs for details of Russia’s foreign policy during this period,
http://www.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Main_Page