Manifesto October 17, 1905: provisions and consequences

The legislative act, or the Manifesto of October 17, 1905, which was drafted by the government and signed by Emperor Nicholas II, still raises controversy.

Why was the Manifesto created?

The beginning of the twentieth century was turbulent and unpredictable due to serious changes in the state and society. The economy of the country lost free labor due to the abolition of serfdom . On the other hand, unskilled labor of serfs would not allow quickly to be reorganized into industrial production and market economy. The economy collapsed before our eyes. From a prosperous state under the very weak leadership of Emperor Nicholas II, Russia became dependent on external debt, a starving country. The people took to the streets. Small riots gained strength, gradually became like real revolutionary performances. "Bloody Sunday" was the impetus for mass protests, which the opposition activists began to monitor and prepare. For the first time during the October speeches, calls were voiced to overthrow the autocratic power of the emperor. The decisive actions of the authorities were required. In such conditions the Manifesto was developed on October 17, 1905.

The reaction of the tsar and the government to mass actions

More than two million people went on strike in October, during the peak of people's armed actions. First, force was used against revolutionaries, then a wave of tsarist mutually exclusive decrees swept the country, which further angered the masses. The people were then even more powerless than under serfdom, and deprived of any opportunity to express their wishes, be heard. Back in May 1905, there was an attempt to limit the power of the emperor and share his powers with the Duma. The king did not sign this document. Under the pressure of revolutionary events, both Nicholas II and the Witte government had to return to this document. Stop the pogroms, bloodshed, mass actions the emperor and the government decided with the help of the Manifesto, which was composed by Witte S.Yu., and signed by Nicholas II.

The significance of the manifesto on October 17, 1905 is enormous - it is Russia that owes him the first significant change in the state structure, which the autocracy replaced with a constitutional monarchy.

What did the historic document say?

A document known in history as the Manifesto on the Improvement of the Public Order, signed on 17 October 1905 by the Russian autocrat Nicholas II, was to bring positive changes to the state. On October 17, 1905 the Manifesto granted:

• Permission to freedom of conscience, words, unions and meetings, which immediately gave rise to many political trends and protesting associations.
• Admission to elections of various sections of the population, regardless of class status and material condition, which was the beginning of the development of a democratic society.
• Mandatory approval by the State Duma of various laws issued in the state. From that moment the Emperor ceased to be the sole ruler and legislator of Russia, since his authority was controlled by the Duma.

However, the Manifesto of October 17, 1905, whose content was progressive for the early twentieth century, did not radically change the situation in the country.

Final innovations of the October legislative act

It was the Manifesto of October 17, 1905 that was able to suspend the revolutionary movement for a while, but Russian society soon realized that it was a bone thrown by the hungry. Actual changes did not follow. They were only on paper. The appearance of a legislative modern body that was supposed to be interested in the opinion of the people, the diminished role of the emperor in lawmaking and certain freedoms made it possible to organize a huge number of oppositional trends and parties.

But the inconsistency of actions and party priorities, a lot of ideological appeals about various prospective directions in overcoming the economic crisis still dragged the country down. Nicholas II reserved the right to dissolve the Duma, so the proclaimed Manifesto of October 17, 1905 and his ideas did not receive the necessary development, but only made the situation even more uncontrollable.

Historical implications

Thanks to the preserved correspondence of Nicholas II and the diaries of eyewitnesses, many events became known to us. After the Manifesto was signed on October 17, 1905, S.Yu. Witte showed inaction, the government could not normalize the situation in the country. A situation was created for the usual struggle for a place in the sun. Speeches amazed with eloquence, but did not contain a solution to the way out of the crisis. But most importantly, no one wanted to take full responsibility for further actions on governing the country, legislative changes and effective economic reforms. The principle of criticizing the actions of the emperor on the sidelines and at balls without a fundamental solution to the problem has become familiar. Leadership, which would allow to end the crisis, no one possessed. The age-old traditions of autocracy did not create at that stage a person capable of replacing the emperor at least partially.

Actions of the government and S.Yu. Witte

Witte, who had to give orders to shoot demonstrators instead of proclaiming democratic reforms, wanted the blood of all the revolutionaries, and instead of making positive proposals in favor of the state turned into an executioner. But no matter how they called the Manifesto of October 17, 1905, this document became a turning point in the history of the state structure and centuries-old traditions of Russia. It is difficult to assess the actions of the emperor unequivocally.

The Manifesto of October 17, 1905 played a significant role in history as the only way to restore stability in the state and provide the lowest class with minimal civil rights.