The October Manifesto was an imperial declaration issued by Tsar Nicholas II at the height of the Russian Revolution of 1905, after a general strike had paralysed the country. Drafted largely by Sergei Witte, it promised basic civil liberties, including freedom of conscience, speech, assembly and association, and pledged that no law would take effect without the approval of an elected State Duma. The concession split the opposition: liberals and moderates were largely satisfied, while socialists and radicals rejected it and pressed on, leading to the Moscow uprising in December. In 1906 the government issued the Fundamental Laws, which kept wide powers in the tsar's hands and sharply limited what the Duma could do.
Before and after
- 22 August 1904Birth of Deng Xiaoping
- 2 October 1904Birth of Graham Greene
- 3 December 1904Discovery of Himalia
- 28 December 1904Discovery of 19P/Borrelly
- 1905October Manifesto
- 1905Construction of Times Square
- 1905Special relativity
- 1905Establishment of Kaziranga National Park
- 1905Rise of Swadeshi movement
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 19 April 1775 to 3 September 1783American Revolutionary War
- 4 July 1776United States Declaration of Independence
- 17 September 1787United States Constitution
- from 1803 to 1815Napoleonic Wars
- from 12 April 1861 to 9 April 1865American Civil War
- from 1868 to 1889Meiji Restoration
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.