Editing October Manifesto (section)

==Prelude==
While France, Great Britain, and the United States had chosen democracy in one form or another, the [[Russian Empire]] maintained its [[Tsarist autocracy|ancient autocratic]] government, headed by the Tsar.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Doctorow |first=Gilbert S. |date=1975 |title=The Government Program of 17 October 1905 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/127712 |journal=Russian Review |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=123–136 |doi=10.2307/127712|jstor=127712 }}</ref> Russia had in the early 1890s, under the guidance of Minister of Finance [[Sergei Witte]], embarked on a state-led programme of [[industrialization]] through foreign investments and the imposition of tariffs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bloody Sunday: The Unhappy History That Led to the Russian Revolution |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/prelude-to-the-russian-revolution-1779472 |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=ThoughtCo |language=en}}</ref>

However, the rapid growth in industry during this period was not met by political reform, leading an expanding working class to become heavily discontented. Nonetheless, peasants still formed 80% of the population and, despite the [[Emancipation reform of 1861|emancipation of the serfs]] by [[Alexander II of Russia|Tsar Alexander II]], agrarian problems were still marked.<ref name="Fitzpatrick">{{cite book|last=Fitzpatrick|first=Shelia|title=The Russian Revolution|year=1994|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|pages=32–33}}</ref>  Russia, remaining a mostly agricultural economy, created economic issues and conflict between the differing social classes, as well as the government of the [[Russian Autocracy]]. 
The conflict created by Russia’s economic and political issues climaxed in the months prior to October 1905, also known as the [[Russian Revolution of 1905]].<ref name="Fitzpatrick" />  On 22 January 1905, peaceful protesters attempted to bring a petition to the Tsar, as was the tradition.<ref name="Eidelman">{{cite journal|last=Eidelman|first=Tamara|title=The October Manifesto: Democracy Debuts in Russia|journal=[[Russian Life]]|year=2005|volume=5|page=21}}</ref>  However this protest was violently put down outside the [[Winter Palace]] when guards were ordered to fire on the protesters.<ref name="Eidelman" /> The result of the violent revolt of the protest would be known as "[[Bloody Sunday (1905)|Bloody Sunday]]".<ref name="Fitzpatrick" />  The violent reaction to the protest increased the tension throughout Russia further. Unrest amongst the Russian people followed Bloody Sunday. By the thousands people refused to go to work and general strike crippled the Empire.<ref name="Eidelman" /> Unrest eventually spread to the Russian countryside where peasants began to burn their masters' manors as the Russian people revolted against the autocracy.<ref name="Eidelman" /> With Russia’s communication, transportation and public services crippled by the strikes, Nicholas II was forced to act before he lost power completely.