Answer: In January 1905, steelworkers in St Petersburg, led by Georgy Gapon, drafted a petition demanding improved conditions and some political reforms. The ‘ Bloody Sunday ‘ petition sparked shootings of several hundred workers outside the Winter Palace: Sovereign!
Over three-quarters of the Russian population were unhappy with their position in the Empire. Peasants and workers alike suffered horrendous living and working conditions and hence posed a threat to the Tsarist regime. Discontent increased in the years before 1905 in the form of riots, illegal strikes and protests.
