Pogroms were violent attacks against Jewish communities in the Russian Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During pogroms, Jewish people were massacred and wounded, and their homes and businesses were destroyed and looted. The first wave of pogroms happened in 1881 after the assassination of Tsar Alexander II was pinned on Jewish community.  In April 1903, there was a pogrom in Kishinev, instigated by Minister of the Interior Viacheslav Pleve, and in the next three years there were over 650 pogroms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The combination of a deteriorating economy, poor harvests, growing social unrest, and popular violence culminated in the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the Pogroms of October 1905. Antisemitism became the acceptable attitude of East European nobility of the time — Tsar Nicholas II included. As scholar Shlomo Lambroza says, “Jews were antithetical to the three basic tenets of Russian autocracy: they were not Christian Orthodox, they were not particularly nationalistic and they did not have a strong affinity for the autocracy…As a discontented minority, Jews were over-represented in radical politics — and there were those who loudly and actively demonstrated their discontent. But mostly, Jews wanted to be left in peace” (Lambroza, 288). 

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While there is debate amongst scholars whether or not Tsar Nicholas II and his government directly instigated a policy of pogroms, they certainly take blame in placing Jewish people in a position where pogroms could happen at all. Additionally, Tsar Nicholas II and his government failed to control local officials and bring an end to pogroms. Russian police forces and troops were severely undertrained and often disloyal, and they often made pogroms worse, joining in looting and murdering, rather than helping to restore peace. In addition to this, though official policy forbade troops from participating in pogroms, there were many instances where they were encouraged to join pogromists.

 

To make matters worse, Tsar Nicholas II actually blamed the Jewish communities for the pogroms. In a letter to his mother, he wrote “…the troublemakers are Jews, the people’s whole anger turned against them. That is how the pogroms happened.” This statement is absolutely ridiculous, especially as one of the main instigators of the pogroms was a group called the Black Hundreds, an extremist, ultra-nationalist movement that supported Tsar Nicholas II and the monarchy. The Black Hundreds were members of the Union of the Russian People, a far-right and fanatically antisemitic political party, which, disturbingly, had a resurgence beginning in 2005 and continue with Vladimir Putin. Tsar Nicholas II called the Black Hundreds and the Union of the Russian People, “shining example of justice and order to all men.” 
 
The October 1905 pogroms occurred at the peak of the First Russian Revolution — the country was paralyzed by a general strike, and in an attempt to appease the people, Tsar Nicholas II signed a manifesto promising to liberalize political life in the country, eventually turning Russia from an autocracy into a constitutional monarchy. Many Jewish people and students attended (primarily peaceful) meetings to discuss this manifesto, and were attacked by troops without warning. A series of pogroms, mainly led by the Black Hundreds, took place immediately afterwards, targeting Jewish communities, the radical and liberal intelligentsia, and revolutionaries. The purpose of the October pogroms was "to frighten the Jews away from taking part in the [revolutionary] movement, and to divert the anger of the discontented masses by setting them upon a suitable scapegoat" (Klier and Lambroza 1992, 314). 

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Pogroms took place in 660 cities, towns, and villages, primarily in the Pale of Jewish Settlement (modern-day Ukraine). During these pogroms 3100 Jews were killed, 2000 Jews were seriously injured, and more than 15,000 Jews were wounded. The bloodiest of the October 1905 pogroms occurred in Odessa. Many Jewish people fought back, but were helpless against the weapons of the police and soldiers who joined the pogrom. Most of the gentile population showed apathy towards the fate of the Jewish people, and in the event Jewish people were defended by Christians, the Christians were killed as well. 

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After pogroms in major cities, pogroms took place in villages and shtetls. The Black Hundreds would read forged papers saying that the Tsar had given them permission to attack the Jewish people. While fewer Jews were killed in rural areas than in the cities, they still had their properties robbed or destroyed. The Black Hundreds would also travel along railroads and wait at river ports to attack Jewish people trying to flee. Many Jewish people did manage to escape, however, leading to a huge influx of Jewish immigrants to the United States. 
 

Sources 

Bialik, H.N. 1948. "The City of Slaughter.” Complete Poetic Works of Hayyim Nahman Bialik, Israel Efros, ed. (New York, 1948): 129-43 (Vol. I).  

Bing (ed.). 1938. The Secret Letters of the Last Tsar. London, pp. 187-188. 

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. “Following in the Footsteps of Tsar Nicholas II: Putin’s Use of Violent Extremism as a Political Weapon.”  April 27, 2022. U.S. Helsinki Commission. https://www.csce.gov/international-impact/following-footsteps-tsar-nicholas-ii?page=44. 

Khiterer, Victoria. “The October 1905 Pogroms and the Russian Authorities.” Nationalities Papers, vol. 43, no. 5, Sept. 2015, pp. 788–803. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.ezp1.villanova.edu/10.1080/00905992.2015.1049134. 

Lambroza, Shlomo. 1987. “The Tsarist Government and the Pogroms of 1903-1906.” Modern Judaism, Vol. 7, No. 3, Oct. 1987, pp. 287-296. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/1396423