The Year 1904

During August, the Japanese began the siege of Port Arthur, finally taking it in January 1905. Russia went on to suffer a series of humiliating defeats at Japanese hands on both land and sea. These defeats and heavy losses sent shock waves through the country. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth on 5 September 1905.

On 12 September, a long awaited son, Tsarevich Alexis Nikolaevich, was born to the royal couple. By mid-October it became apparent that Alexis suffered from hemophilia. This knowledge caused great sadness and a deepening sense of fatalism in the Tsar. His wife's health and spirits began to visibly deteriorate. The Tsarevich's condition was kept secret from the court and the public.

From 13-22 October, a Conference of the Opposition and Revolutionary Organizations of the Russian Empire was held in Paris. The conference adopted a series of resolutions which called for the "abolition of the autocracy," its replacement by a "free and democratic regime based on universal suffrage," and for the "right of national self-determination" for all the nationalities populating the Russian Empire.

On 21 October, elements of the Russian Baltic Fleet passed through the North Sea on their way to the Far East, mistakenly firing on British fishing trawlers. Known as the Dogger Bank Incident, it provoked a grave misunderstanding between Great Britain and Russia. Nine days later London accepted a Russian offer to refer the dispute to arbitration. The matter was eventually resolved, with Russia forced to pay indemnities.

From 19-21 November, the First Zemstvo Congress was held in St. Petersburg. It adopted resolutions calling for abolition of states of emergency, an end to administrative oppression, expansion of Zemstvo liberties, amnesties, and equal rights without regard to social origin, nationality or religion. The Tsar responded to their resolutions, stating "the Zemstvos have no business to concern themselves with matters of state." The Congress honored Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich with the title of "Russian Hero," which caused the Empress to view him as a threat to the throne.

On 25 December, the Tsar issued a proclamation calling for reforms dealing with freedom of conscience and laws governing the press, but warned the Zemstvos, municipal assemblies and all other types of organizations and societies not to exceed their prescribed limitations.

The years 1904-1905, saw the emergence in Russia of the Black Hundreds, an ultra-nation-alistic group which fostered virulent anti-Semiticism. The Tsar was known to be in its favor.

The Year 1905

On 22 January, Russian priest Father George Gapon led a peaceful workers march towards the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. It was brutally suppressed by troops, leaving over 500 dead and several thousand wounded. Tsar Nicholas was stunned by the event. The workers' petitions demanded a constituent assembly, universal suffrage and education, separation of church and state, amnesty for all political prisoners, an income tax, minimum wage and an eight hour work day. In February violence erupted across Russia, with demonstrations and strikes, plus the murders of numbers of police.

In February, an SR member of the revolutionary combat detachment threw a bomb which exploded in the lap of Grand Duke Sergei Aleksandrovich, Regent of Moscow, blowing him to bits. The royal couple did not attend his funeral, as advisers felt it was far too dangerous for them to leave the safety of Tsarskoe Selo.

On 30 April, the Tsar issued an Imperial decree on religious toleration which granted every adult the right to profess any Christian teaching and restored to Old Believers and sectarians their places of worship. It abolished all previous laws that denied those liberties.

However, Jews were still forced to live under strict laws which prohibited them from owning land, having civil rights, or being able to settle anywhere except within strictly defined regions, known as the "Pale of Settlement." The Pale lay mainly within provinces carved out of the former Polish Kingdom.

From 5-9 May, the Second Zemstvo Congress was held in Moscow, calling for universal suffrage. This resolution would eventually lead to the first constituent assembly.

During June, the final section of the Trans-Siberian Railway was completed which linked European Russia with Vladivostok in the Far East. Between 18 and 20 trains per day would soon begin making the trip.

On 27 June, in the Black Sea, the crew of the Russian battle cruiser Potemkin mutinied at Odessa. Eleven days later the crew, having run out of food and water, surrendered to the Romanian authorities at Constanza.

During June, the Tsar established the Council for State Defense, appointing Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich as chairman. The Grand Duke was charged with imposing unified leadership in the armed forces, coordinating military and financial policy, and determining overall military policy. The Council eventually became too unwieldy and was disbanded in August 1908.