Causes like: poverty, dislike of monarcy, and lack of loyalty towards the Czar. The causes of this can be traced back as far as 1861. The Tsars who ruled in Russia were firm autocrats in an era where the nearby Europe was transforming to liberalism and republicanism. The influence of these groups, as well as internal problems and foreign policy.
were all causes of the revolution. In the 19th century, Russia was very much Medieval in its ways, and this is especially highlighted by the fact that Serfdom still existed. The Serfs were little more than slaves of the Tsars and had no rights. They were also refered to as peasants. Alexander II was the first to recognise this and in 1861 he granted Emancipation to the Serfs. He felt it "better to abolish Serfdom from above than to wait for the Serfs to liberate themselves from below." This however, caused more problems than it solved. Although Russia became more civilized in a way, the demand for right increased by the Serfs which had created the long term cause of the revolution.
At this time, war with Japan was impending. Nicholas saw it as an opportunity to rally loyalty to the empire once more. However his major error was that he under-estimated the strength of the Japanese. He believed his fleets would crush them. However, the Japanese defeated the Russians and destroyed all her fleets. The defeat in this war and the expense it incurred were direct causes of the revolution which occured just a few weeks later. .
The biggest cause of the revolution happend becuse of the what's known as Red Sunday. January 22,1905, a group of workers and their families set out, with the backing of several officials, to present a petition to the Czar. As they approached the Winter Palace, rifles sprayed them with bullets. This cruel act by the Czar shattered what smidgen of faith the workers and peasants still held for Nicholas II. Peasants and workers revolted in an elemental and anarchic rebellion, ultimately turning a large-scale strike and bringing the government, economy, and all public services to a complete halt.