The early years of the twentieth century were turbulent times for the Russian Empire.  Two military actions in Asia would rapidly change the national feeling toward the Czar and his government.  The first action, the Boxer Rebellion, helped to give the Russians a feeling of artificial military superiority as they moved into Manchuria.  The second conflict, the Russo-Japanese war, destroyed that illusion completely.

Revolutionaries who saw the Russian defeat at the hands of the Japanese as an opportunity for revolt acted.  A general strike brought commerce to a screeching halt. Cossacks and soldiers fought rioters around the empire.  At the end of the chaos, Czar Nicholas allowed the creation of the Duma, so that the people could have a form of representative government.

In another move to calm the people, the Czar appointed Peter Stolypin as Prime Minister.  Stolypin moved swiftly to bring true land reform and arrest revolutionaries.  His action stabilized Russia and improved the economy greatly.

The military also used this time to modernize.  From 1907 to 1910 many changes were made to the weapons used by the military.  The 'spitzer' or pointed bullet replaced the rounded bullet that was previously used.  This increased the fighting power of the average soldier.  The sights on the rifles also had to be adjusted to reflect the bullet's new range.  The Maxim machine gun was also modernized during this time.  Many of its heavy brass parts were replaced with steel.