ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the anti-Jewish pogroms during the first Russian Revolution, and in particular the two major waves of violence in October 1905 and in the early summer of 1906, shocked the enlightened sectors of the Russian public. It examines the Contrary to popular perception, Russian autocrats and their governments did not deliberately and systematically instigate pogroms to deflect the widespread hostility toward the prevailing political and social order. One observer of the peasant disorders put it: The agrarian movement was caused by the fact that at a certain time rumours from all corners of Russia reached the villagers stating that in the cities Jews were beaten with impunity and people were allowed to rob their property. It explains the situation after four days of violence it seemed to one sober commentator that complete governmental anarchy' prevailed in Russia. The attacks on Jews occurred with such frequency that newspapers carried special sections entitled Jewish pogroms.
