<h3>Since Russia was an autocracy, political parties were outlawed and had to operate in secret at first. However, they became legal in 1905. The Socialist Revolutionary Party was founded in 1901. It called for the czar's overthrow and the seizure and redistribution of all land to the peasants.</h3>
Spain and France supplied financial help during the war and provided a morale boost to the Americans who thought that the prospects for independence were dim
