Before 1905, Russia experienced significant social, economic, and political challenges: Social Conditions:

• Russian society was deeply divided by class, with workers split between those maintaining ties to rural villages and those settled permanently in cities. These divisions were evident in their skills, dress, and manners.
• The majority of the population were peasants engaged in agriculture, cultivating most of the land, though large estates were owned by the nobility, the crown, and the Orthodox Church.
• Religion was predominantly Russian Orthodox Christianity, but other faiths like Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, and Buddhism were also present.
• Nobles derived their power through service to the Tsar rather than local popularity, and workers and peasants were socially fragmented and religiously devout

Economic Conditions:

• Russia was a major grain exporter, with about 85% of the population dependent on agriculture.
• Industrial development was uneven, concentrated in pockets such as St. Petersburg and Moscow, with a mix of large factories and craft workshops.
• The 1890s saw industrial growth driven by railway expansion, increased foreign investment, and a surge in coal, iron, and steel production.
• Despite industrial progress, workers faced hardships; for example, in 1904, rising prices caused a 20% decline in real wages.
• Most industries were privately owned by industrialists, and economic disparities were pronounced

Political Conditions:

• Russia was an autocracy under the Tsar, who was not accountable to any parliament, unlike other European monarchs.
• Political parties were illegal before 1914, but socialist groups like the Russian Social Democratic Workers Party and the Socialist Revolutionary Party were active, advocating for workers' and peasants' rights.
• The 1905 Bloody Sunday massacre, where peaceful protesters were shot by the Tsar's troops, sparked widespread unrest and led to the 1905 Revolution.
• Following the revolution, the Tsar reluctantly permitted the creation of an elected consultative Parliament called the Duma, but political freedoms remained limited.
• Strikes and student protests highlighted demands for civil liberties and political reform

In summary, pre-1905 Russia was marked by social fragmentation and inequality, an economy in transition but dominated by agriculture and private industry, and an autocratic political system facing growing opposition and unrest. These conditions set the stage for the revolutionary upheavals that followed.