Bloody Sunday (1905)
1
Bloody Sunday (1905)
Bloody Sunday (Russian: Крова́вое воскресе́нье;
IPA: [krɐˈvavəjə vəskrʲɪˈsʲenʲjə]) was a massacre on
Jan. 22 [O.S. January 9] 1905 in St. Petersburg, Russia,
where unarmed, peaceful demonstrators marching to
present a petition to the Tsar Nicholas II were gunned
down by the Imperial Guard while approaching the city
center and the Winter Palace from several gathering
points. The shooting did not occur in the Palace Square.
Bloody Sunday was an event with grave consequences
for the Tsarist regime, as the disregard for ordinary
people shown by the massacre undermined support for
the state. The events which occurred on this Sunday
have been assessed by historians, including Lionel
Kochan in his book Russia in Revolution 1890-1918, to
be one of the key events which led to the eventual
Russian Revolution of 1917.
Preludes
The previous December in 1904, a strike occurred at
the Putilov plant, which filled military orders during
the Russo-Japanese War. Sympathy strikes in other
parts of the city raised the number of strikers above
800,000. By January 8, 1905, the city had no electricity
and no newspapers whatsoever. All public areas were
declared closed. Father Gapon, a Russian priest who
was concerned about the conditions experienced by the
working and lower classes, organized a peaceful
"workers' procession" to the Winter Palace to deliver a
petition to the Tsar that Sunday stating reforms they
had desperately wanted. The petition, written by
Gapon, made clear the problems and opinions of the
workers and called for improved working conditions,
fairer wages, and a reduction in the working day to
eight hours. Other demands included an end to the
Russo-Japanese War and the introduction of universal
suffrage.
January 22. Father Gapon near Narva Gate. Unknown painter
A still from the Soviet movie Devyatoe yanvarya ("9th of January")
The procession was well stewarded by followers of
(1925) showing line of armed soldiers facing demonstrators at the
Gapon and any terrorists and hot-heads were removed
approaches to the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg:(known at the time
as Petrograd)
and all the participants checked for weapons. Chairman
of the Council of Ministers Sergei Witte was implored
not to act against the marchers. Troops had been deployed around the Winter Palace and at other key points. The
Tsar had left the city on January 8 for Tsarskoye Selo.
Bloody Sunday (1905)
2
Bloody Sunday
On the Sunday, January 22, striking workers and their families gathered at six points in the city of St. Petersburg in
Russia. They were organised and led by Father Gapon. Holding religious icons and singing hymns and patriotic
songs (particularly "God Save the Czar!"), a crowd of "more than 3,000"[1] proceeded without police interference
towards the Winter Palace, the Tsar's official residence. The army pickets near the palace released warning shots,
and then fired directly into the crowds to disperse them. Gapon was fired upon near the Narva Gate. Around forty
people surrounding him were killed, however he was not injured.[2] Although the Tsar was not at the Winter Palace
or even in the city, he received the blame for the deaths, resulting in a surge of bitterness towards himself and his
autocratic rule from the Russian people.
The number killed is uncertain but the Tsar's officials
recorded 96 dead and 333 injured; anti-government
sources claimed more than 4,000 dead; moderate
estimates still average around 1,000 killed or wounded,
both from shots and trampled during the panic.
Nicholas II described the day as "painful and sad".[3]
As reports spread across the city, disorder and looting
broke out. Gapon's Assembly was closed down that
day, and Gapon quickly left Russia. According to one
version, returning in October, he was assassinated by
the order of the Combat Organization of the
Socialist-Revolutionary Party after he revealed to his
friend Pinhas Rutenberg that he was working for the
Okhrana or Secret Police.[4]
This event was seen by the British ambassador to
inflame revolutionary activities in Russia and
contributed to the Revolution of 1905. The writer Leo
Tolstoy was also emotionally affected by the
incident.[5]
Soviet painting - Bloody Sunday massacre in St. Petersburg
The St. Petersburg workmen's
petition to the Tsar
• The St. Petersburg workmen's petition to the Tsar, January 22, 1905
References
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
Gapon, Address to the Tsar, February 1905, in Ascher, The Revolution of 1915, Vol. 1
Ascher, Abraham. The Revolution of 1905. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford UP, 1988. p. 91. Print
Kurth, Peter. Tsar: the Lost World of Nicholas and Alexandra. Boston: Back Bay, 1998. p. 81
Notes on Georgii Appolonovich Gapon (1870-1906) (http:/ / novaonline. nvcc. edu/ eli/ evans/ HIS242/ Notes/ Gapon. html), Northern
Virginia Community College
[5] Rolland, Romain (1911). Life of Tolstoy. London: T. Fisher Unwin. p. 212.
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Image:Gapon u Narvskoy zastavy1.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gapon_u_Narvskoy_zastavy1.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Aristodem
Image:BloodySunday1905.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:BloodySunday1905.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Kelvinc, Maximaximax, Niki K,
Noclador, Ranveig
Image:BloodySunday1905b.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:BloodySunday1905b.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Jdforrester, Kaganer, Maximaximax,
Niki K, Ranveig, SemBubenny
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