a Great Power. Nicholas II's
             weakness was even obvious to himself, when he said, "I always give in and in the end am
             made the fool, without will, without character." At this time, the Czar did not lead, his
             ministers bickered amongst themselves, and cliques and special-interest groups interfered
             with the conduct of government. Nicholas II never took interest in public opinion, and
             seemed oblivious to what was happening around him. He was still convinced he could
             By 1902, the peasants had revolted against Witte's industrialization movements,
             which were marked by a raise in taxes as Russia spent more than it ever had. Russia was
             struggling in the European and Asian markets, and with much domestic unrest, Nicholas II
             did not want foreign affairs muddled as well. Nicholas II dismissed Witte from the Minister
             January 22, 1905, commonly known as Bloody Sunday, was a revolutionary
             event only because of what followed, not of what actually happened on that day. A group
             of workers and their families set out, with the backing of several officials, to present a
             petition to the Czar. As they approached the Winter Palace, rifles sprayed them with
             bullets. This cruel act by the Czar shattered what smidgen of faith the workers and
             peasants still held for Nicholas II, and sparked the quickly-aborted "October Revolution."
             Peasants and workers revolted in an elemental and anarchic rebellion, ultimately turning a
             large-scale strike and bringing the government, economy, and all public services to a
             complete halt. By October 1905, the relations between the Czar and his subjects had
             The October Manifesto, created in 1905, caused two things. First, it granted
             basic civil liberties to all, despite religion or nationality; it even legalized political parti
             ...