War, Revolution, and Reform (1900-1913)

The early years of the twentieth century were turbulent times for the Russian Empire.  Two military actions in Asia would rapidly change the national feeling toward the Tsar and his government.  The first action, the Boxer Rebellion, helped to give the Russians a feeling of artificial military superiority as they moved into Manchuria.  The second conflict, the Russo-Japanese war, destroyed that illusion completely.

Revolutionaries who saw the Russian defeat at the hands of the Japanese as an opportunity for revolt acted.  A general strike brought commerce to a screeching halt. Cossacks and soldiers fought rioters around the empire.  At the end of the chaos, Tsar Nicholas allowed the creation of the Duma, so that the people could have a form of representative government.  Though the revolutionaries felt emboldened, life for the average person in turn of the century Russia was not as bad as they would have liked to think.  There was a great deal of work available, both in the cities and in the countryside. In education the drive to create new schools continued. Primary education was provided for all children between the ages of 8 and 11.  Many prestigious universities also offered opportunities for Russians able to attend them.

In another move to calm the people, the Tsar appointed Peter Stolypin as Prime Minister who moved swiftly to bring true land reform and arrest revolutionaries.  His reforms allowed people to own the land they worked.  The peasant class of this time took advantage of this and soon owned large amounts of land.  Four times the amount of land as the gentry in fact.  His assassination in 1911 marked the end of an era that, had it continued, would have saved Tsarist Russia.

As society advanced during this era, the military also used this time to modernize.  From 1907 to 1910 many changes were made to the weapons used by the military.  A new carbine version of the Mosin-Nagant was introduced alongside a new short sword for artillery troops.  The 'spitzer' or pointed bullet replaced the rounded bullet that was previously used and increased the fighting power of the average soldier.  The sights on the rifles also had to be adjusted to reflect the bullet's new range.  The Maxim machine gun was also modernized during this time as many of its heavy brass parts were replaced with steel.