How revolutionary was the 1905 revolution in Russia

The 1905 revolution was period of unrest in Russia characterised by mass strikes and mutinies; it has often been described as a precursor to the revolution of 1917. For a revolution to have taken place, many historians would expect there to have been a ‘forcible overthrow of the government or existing social order’; yet by the end of 1905, autocracy still stood firm in Russia, spearheaded by the ever dictatorial Tsar. By this metric, therefore, it would seem impossible to maintain that the events of 1905 constituted a revolution. This conclusion, however, misses a nuanced, subtle, and important upshots of 1905; if we take revolution to mean ‘a dramatic and wide-reaching change in conditions, attitudes, or operation’, then the debate becomes far more interesting and . Whilst it may be argued that the aims and intentions of those involved in the 1905 revolution were far from revolutionary, and in terms of material conditions 1905 effected little change, however the public psyche, expectations, and attitudes towards government in Russia changed as a result of 1905; in this way there was a revolution.