On Sunday 22 January 1905 a priest called
Father Gapon led a procession of 200000
people to the Winter Palace. They were
delivering a petition to the Tsar asking for
better working and living conditions in the
cities.
Nicholas ordered his troops to shoot at the
people led by Father Gapon. Reports suggest
that between 100-1,000 people were killed.
In June 1905 the sailors on the
Battle Potemkin mutinied.
The sailors were protesting against
the shameful defeat of the
Russo-Japanese War
Many people came to join
the protest in support of the
sailors. Nicholas ordered
the army to end the mutiny.
Towards the end of June the middle class liberals
joined the protests. They demanded an elected
parliament, freedom of speech and the right to
form political parties.
Towards the end of June more and more
workers started to go on strike. The
workers wanted better wages and working
and lining conditions.
In July the peasants rioted. They seized
land, burnt crops and looted the
landowners' houses.
In October a group of workers came together to organise
the strikes in St Petersburg. They became known as the St
Petersburg Soviet. Other cities started to copy, forming
their own soviets.