olution was the assassination of V.K. Plehve, Minister of Internal Affairs. Plehve had become “a symbol of the capriciousness and intransigence of the autocratic regime.” His death exposed the depth of despair of Russia and “opened new possibilities for popular agitation against the war and the government.” This extended period of social and political unrest opened the eyes of many Russians to the possibilities of reform through resistance. The growing inequality of governmental representation led to the alienation and persecution of the general population. Economic hardships of agrarian and industrial nature further alienate the peasant class and the proletariat. These gradual events were further boosted by the rapid developments of the Russo-Japanese War. The climate of revolution had been rising steadily throughout the turn of the 20th century. The immediate hardships forced upon the population by the autocracy through the Russo-Japanese War served as a catalyst for the growing reaction of the Russian people to their oppressive reality. The 1905 Revolution was an event instigated because of oppressive domestic policy and the inability of an autocracy to effectively represent and govern 129 million people. ...
