Katie Why did the 1905 revolution fail but the 1917 revolution succeed?

The Tsarist system had been facing difficulties for a long while but it went through two revolutions before finally collapsing in 1917. It is possible to argue that it was World War I that made the difference between success and failure: the effects of wartime were increasingly visible in everything and everywhere. The peasants in the countryside had agricultural problem, the cities were in chaos with shortages of food and basic commodities, morale in the ranks was at rock bottom and the ability of the government and the leadership of Nicholas was being challenged both by the Duma and the people. Conditions were rife for revolution. On the other hand, the October Manifesto also contributed to the different outcomes of the revolutions. While it appeased many at the time and allowed the government to gather us some control; this move would later backfire when it became apparent that Nicholas II had no intention of sticking to his promises. Though this was crucial in uniting the people with disillusionment with their current leadership and driving them to radical places; it was not the reason that the revolution succeeded, for that we have WWI to thank. A main cause of the different outcomes of the two revolutionary attempts was World War I. This was the crucial factor in 1917 as the mother of almost all others. The hardships of war drove everyone to despair.