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Immediately, those who were unhappy with the existing system began to agitate for change. When Cossacks violently broke up a demonstration in St Petersburg, with many deaths, the country saw widespread revolts. The Tsar faced losing power and made significant concessions to secure his position. He granted a constitution and allowed for the creation of an elected Duma. This parliament then limited his powers.<ref>Figes, p. 65</ref> This managed to appease the revolutionaries, and order and calm were restored. The Tsar promised reforms, including land reform, and vowed to respect the constitution. In the years following, Nicholas II failed to implement meaningful reforms, although some ‘real and positive changes.<ref>Lincoln, W. Bruce. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0671557092/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0671557092&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=500d3127c72c2c8c8d421483668da68a Passage Through Armageddon: The Russians in War and Revolution, 1914–1918]''. (New York, 1986), p. 4.</ref> The economy improved after 1905, and the Tsar began to win back some support. However, radicals were unhappy with the situation and plotted revolution, either in Russia or in exile, such as Lenin, the Bolshevik Party of Communists in Switzerland.
====How did World War I==fundamentally change Russia?==
[[File:1200px-Russian_Troops_NGM-v31-p372.jpg|thumbnail|300px|left|Russian troops moving to the front lines in 1917]]
In 1913 , there were lavish public celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty’s rule in Russia. The Tsar used the anniversary to demonstrate that God appointed him to rule ‘all the Russia’s.<ref>Figes, p. 117.</ref> That year, the Tsar and his family were very popular, and it seemed to the revolutionaries that there would never be a revolution. However, after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, Europe was plunged into war. Russia was allied with France and Britain against Germany, Austro-Hungary, and Turkey. Russia invaded Prussia in 1914, but after some initial success, was defeated. It also fought campaigns against the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires.
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